


Every Story Starts Somewhere

by Oiaso



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-01-23 19:19:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 50,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1576610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oiaso/pseuds/Oiaso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity had gone to the bank alone, but when the waiting took much longer than expected, Oliver decided to go over there to keep her company. They couldn’t imagine he would end up fighting for his life, nor predict how close they’d grow after their visit to the bank. Every story starts somewhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Bad Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you doing?  
> I wanted to write a multi-chapter Arrow fic for a while, and after considering different ideas, scenarios, and characters, I ended up writing this.  
> I knew that I wanted an injured Oliver with some Olicity. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to focus just on their friendship (as I've done so far) or if I wanted to go further and explore their relationship in a romantic way. The answer came in the form of Stephen Amell's tweet.  
> On March 5, 2014, when the episode 2x15 "The Promise" was about to air, he tweeted: "Every story starts somewhere. #Arrow Tonight!"  
> Of course he was talking about another thing, but that tweet came as a revelation to me, and when I read it, it was clear to me that I wasn't going to stop just in their friendship.  
> Another thing I wasn’t sure about was if I wanted to turn it into a reveal fic. I thought a lot about it, but eventually, and with the encouragement of a good friend I decided that I did want to. So yeah, our hero's secret identity will not be so secret.  
> I know I didn't have to give you any explanation, but I wanted you to know where this story comes from.  
> This fic is set before 2x04, since no one knows that Sara is alive. So, Felicity is Oliver's Executive Assistant, there are only 3 people in Team Arrow, Moira is still in jail, and Lance is no longer a Detective. From there, everything that happens is not canon.  
> As always, I have to thank my fantastic beta **luvtheheaven** for her awesome help; because without her, I couldn’t have shared it with you.  
>  I hope you like this, even if it is only a little bit.  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow.

**Chapter 1. A Bad Feeling**

Felicity had been kneeling for so long that her legs were numb. The floor was cold under her knees. Her hands were stained with blood, with  _his_  blood. But she didn’t care about her hands, because only one thing mattered to her right now: the man who was lying on the floor next to her, fighting for his life.

"Hold on Oliver. You  _can't_  give up,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Do you hear me? Because you can't _die_. You  _can't_  do this to me!  _Fight_  Oliver, fight like you always do. Please," she begged desperately.

**_~ Several hours earlier ~_ **

Oliver looked at his watch for the umpteenth time. It was almost noon. He always got bored in Queen Consolidated meetings, but this one in particular was extremely boring and he couldn't understand why. There was nothing to make it worse. The only difference was Felicity's absence. But that couldn't be the reason for his impatience, could it? He was aware that she wasn't only his Executive Assistant; she was his friend and partner. But that was something they didn't show in public, even less during the meetings, so why was he so anxious to get out of there? He didn't even know if she would be in her office at the end of the meeting.

A few minutes past ten o'clock Felicity had received a phone call, and a moment later she'd entered his office to tell him that she had to go to the bank, that it was urgent and that she hoped to be back before the investor’s arrival. But it didn't happen like that, and Oliver had to sit through the whole meeting without her. When he looked back at his watch, Isabel glanced at him disapprovingly. Fortunately for him, it seemed that the meeting was _finally_ about to end. He was right. Not much later, he was leaving the room to go talk to Felicity, but she still hadn't returned. He let out a small, disappointed sigh and went to his office.

He was sure that she hadn’t called him, but still he felt the need to check his phone. Nothing. He put the phone back in his pocket and glanced at her desk through the glass. The office looked very empty without Felicity. He got up and looked out the window while Diggle observed him silently from his position by the door. He wondered when Oliver would realize how much he needed her in his day-to-day and how long it would take him to accept that he had feelings for her.

“Why don’t you call her?”

There was no need to say her name. Both of them knew exactly where Oliver’s mind was.

“I don’t know if I should,” he answered.

He wanted to call her, of course he wanted to, but he was concerned that if she was busy he might bother her. It was one of the many things that had changed about him as a result of being on the island. He wasn't that selfish guy who took his girlfriend's sister on his family’s Gambit. Not anymore.

“Call her.”

It wasn't an order, but it had the same effect. He phoned her. She didn't take long to answer.

“Did something happen?” she asked worriedly.

Oliver frowned when he heard her. Why was it so unusual for him to call her without something bad having happened?

“No, don’t worry. It's just that it’s almost lunch time and as you still haven't come back we were wondering what is taking you so long.”

“What time...? Oh wow!” she exclaimed when she looked at her watch. “I didn't notice it was so late. I know I've been here for a while, but I didn't think it had been this long! You'd think I would've noticed, as they don't even have any magazines and I've just been sitting here, really bored, waiting the whole time. I should have changed to another bank a long time ago."

“Because they don’t have magazines?” he asked, amused.

“What? Of course not! I should have changed because they have completely incompetent workers! Oh, no... Now everybody’s staring at me... Why did I say it so loud?”

“Calm down, Felicity. How much longer do you think you'll take?”

“I wish I knew... There are still three people ahead of me, but I don't know. Besides, it seems it's their lunchtime too, because one of the two workers just left.”

“Ok, don’t worry, Felicity. I'm done here, and the next meeting isn’t until five, so we'll leave now to pick you up and then we'll go to Big Belly.”

“That's not necessary, Oliver. I’m sure you have better things to do. And as I said, I don't know how long it will take, but I probably won't be done by the time you arrive.”

“Well, then I'll keep you company while you wait.”

“Oliver, really, there’s no need for that!

“Felicity.”

She pouted, because she knew that tone too well. Oliver used it when there was nothing and no one who could change his mind.

“Ok, I'll be here,” she said before hanging up.

Dig didn't hear what Felicity said, but he still understood the whole conversation. Neither he nor Oliver said anything during the ride to the bank, each lost in their own thoughts. When they arrived, Diggle asked:

“Should I go in with you?”

“No. If you go in with me, we'll attract their attention,” _and I don't think Felicity would be happy if that happened_ was the part of the sentence that Oliver didn't say aloud.

His friend nodded silently. Once in the bank, Oliver soon found Felicity even though she had her back to him. Her ponytail was unmistakable.

“Hey,” he said as he put a hand on her forearm.

Felicity jumped by the contact because she hadn't noticed he was already there.

“Oliver! Don't scare me like that! You know that I don't like when you get close so quietly... One of these days, I'm going to have a heart attack, and I'm too young for that. Although taking into account that I spend almost every hour of the day sitting, and that I eat more junk food than I should, I guess my chances of having a heart attack will have increased considerably, and maybe I should go to the doctor to get a checkup but I don't like needles...  Have I already told you that I don't like needles?”

Felicity fell silent when she saw Oliver's raised eyebrow. She used to ramble when she was nervous, but also when she was scared or even angry. Without a doubt, this visit to the bank and the long wait were getting on her nerves.

“By the way, where’s John? I thought he would come with you.”

“He's waiting in the car.”

Felicity nodded, understanding the words he didn't say.

They both knew what was being said about them at Queen Consolidated, and they didn’t want those rumors to spread throughout the city. Oliver was used to dealing with the tabloids, he’d done it since he’d been born, but Felicity had never experienced this kind of fame, and she didn’t even deserve it because there was nothing between them, at least not in a romantic way.

That's why Oliver asked Diggle to stay in the car. If he had entered with Oliver, they would have attracted too much attention, and this other way it was easier for Felicity and Oliver to go unnoticed. The truth was that no one seemed to have noticed that Oliver Queen was there.

Felicity huffed in frustration. She was tired of waiting. She’d thought that with Oliver at her side the situation would improve, but she’d been wrong. They'd been silent for a while. But it wasn't a comfortable silence between two friends who didn't need to say anything. _No_. It was a silence that neither of them knew how to break. They were used to spending time together, _a lot_ of time actually, but they never talked about anything that wasn't related to either of their two jobs.

It was an awkward silence. Felicity had never liked silence; it made her feel uncomfortable and brought her back bad memories of her childhood. When her father had left them, her mother had fallen into a depression from which she never managed to get out, not entirely at least, and Felicity had to go on without her support.  But one of the things that had hurt her more was that from the day after her father left until some years later, when Felicity was already in college, her mother didn't talk to her.

Even when her father was still in her life she used to talk more than the other children in her class, but once her parents had left her with only silence, she grew to hate the lack of noise and so as a coping mechanism she’d learned to always fill the void with her own voice. Although over the years she had managed to, somehow, overcome that her father had abandoned them and all of the consequences that had had for her, she knew that she would never stop rambling. Never. It was already a part of who she was. And yet, at this particular time, with Oliver at her side, she didn’t know what to say to fill the silence that surrounded them.

She looked at him, wondering if the silence was awkward for him too. When she saw his left hand she didn't have any doubt. He was rubbing his thumb and forefinger, as he did whenever he felt uncomfortable. But when she observed him more closely, she could see that the reason for his discomfort had nothing to do with what was bothering her. No, Oliver's unease was due to something else.

His gaze was full of determination, and yet it wasn't focused on any particular spot, but wandered from side to side as if he was looking for something that was wrong. Apparently Oliver thought something bad was going to happen.

“What's wrong, Oliver?” she asked, softly.

He glanced at her, surprised that she’d noticed his discomfort.

“Nothing.”

Felicity pursed her lips and tilted her head, letting him know she didn't buy his lie.

“I don't know, Felicity. I feel like there is something wrong, but I don't know what.”

Oliver didn't know how to explain it. On the island he’d learned to trust his instincts, and that was what he was doing now. Something was wrong, he felt it, but he was unable to figure out what, and that was getting on his nerves.

He wondered if maybe, for once, his instinct was failing. Later, when all the people who were in the bank were in danger, and he was fighting for his life, he wished that had been the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	2. The Significance of a Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm here again to post the second chapter.   
> I want to thank you for the kudos; but I wish I could thank you for your reviews too, so please... Let me know what you think.  
> I can't forget to thank my beta. You’re amazing, **luvtheheaven!**  
>  I hope you all like this chapter too.  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 2. The Significance of a Name**

Oliver observed the people who were in the bank: A woman trying to entertain her kid who was very bored, a suited man who was looking at his watch every minute, a young man who didn't take his eyes away from the ground, an elderly couple sitting on uncomfortable plastic chairs...

There were more people in the bank, but Oliver returned his gaze to the young man. He only looked up from the floor to check his phone. There was something odd about him, and it was evident that he was very nervous. When he looked for first time at something other than his shoes or his cell, Oliver followed his gaze.

At the other side of the bank, near where the clients were attended to, there was another man who stared back. His features were similar, but he was older, and he seemed more calm and confident.

Oliver's jaw tightened. He'd a bad feeling about these men. He thought of sending a message to Dig asking him to be alert, but before Oliver could get his phone out of his pocket, the older one had gestured to the other, and both slid a hand to their belts.

Without thinking, Oliver took Felicity's arm tightly, placing her behind him protectively. She was going to complain, but her words got lost in her throat when she realized what was happening.

The men who had seemed suspicious to Oliver had taken out guns and were aiming indiscriminately toward everyone there.

“Everybody freeze! This is a robbery!” the older one shouted.

“If you all do exactly what we say and you do not cause us any problems, no one will get hurt,” explained the younger one.

“You're going to fill these bags with unmarked bills,” the other ordered the cashier, giving her two duffel bags. “The rest of you: lie down where I can see you and don’t say a word if you don't want me to blow your heads off.”

The other bank employees slowly went out to where the clients were, and they all did what they were asked; all of them except for a girl who was 16 or 17. Her eyes were wide open and her breathing was very hectic. When one of the robbers pointed a gun to her and ordered her to move, the girl became paler. She was so terrified that she couldn't move.

“She's having a panic attack,” Oliver muttered.

He knew he must help the girl to calm and lie down, but he must find a way to do it without risking the others’ lives. But Felicity didn't think, she just acted. She got up and spoke in so strong and calm a voice that it even surprised herself.

“This girl is having a panic attack and needs help.”

“I said to lie down!” The youngest of the robbers shouted as he aimed directly at her head.

“I only ask you to let me go to help her calm down. Just that. Let me talk to her. Please,” Felicity said as a drop of cold sweat ran down her back.

“Okay, go.”

Felicity ran to the girl and asked her for her name.

“So-Sophie.”

“Alright Sophie, give me your hand... Come, sit here.”

Felicity led her to one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, knowing that the others were looking at both of them. She forced Sophie to bend over, putting her head between her knees. Felicity sat on the floor in front of her, so that their eyes were at the same level.

“Now, you're going to breathe in slowly, like me, and then you're going to breathe out in a similar manner, very slowly. Come on, Sophie, honey. I know you can do it. You have to take deep breaths... Very good Sophie, you're doing great.”

Meanwhile, the cashier was putting wads of cash in the bags. Oliver observed the robbers. Now that they were next to each other, he had no doubt that they were brothers. The older one played the boss-role, he was who gave the orders, and who seemed more dangerous. The other, however, was submissive, and merely imitated his brother. Although they didn't put their guns down even for a moment, it seemed that they had no intention of using them. Most likely was that they found themselves in a bad situation and robbing a bank was the only solution that they could come up with.They weren't professional robbers, Oliver was sure of that, but they’d still been smart enough to choose the only bank in the entire area which had dark windows, so it was almost impossible to see what was happening in the bank from the outside. That gave them the privacy they needed to prevent someone outside from calling the police.

That was why his instinct told him that if everyone remained calm, the robbery would end soon and no one would get hurt. He'd been right when he felt something bad had been about to happen – it did, a robbery had begun to ensue - so he expected that he was right and should trust his instinct this time too. Once the robbers had escaped with their cash, Oliver could be sure to retrieve and return the stolen money that night with Felicity's help.

When he thought of her, he couldn't help but look to the place where she was. Her back was to him. The other girl was still very pale, but her breaths were much quieter. He was proud of Felicity. Although she was scared too, she had managed to hide that feeling and calm the girl.

“Come on, hurry up!” The younger of the two robbers demanded to the cashier.

He seemed anxious to get out. That couldn't be good.

“I-I’m almost finished,” she answered, scared.

“Did I ask you to talk?” She shook her head no and he continued talking. “Then shut up. I think we said that we don't want to hear anything.”

At that moment, a phone started ringing in the room. Felicity shivered as she recognized the melody. It was Oliver's.

“Whose phone is that?” The older brother asked as he approached the place where the sound was coming.

Oliver felt helpless and that made him angry. Still, he was able to speak in a calm voice.

“It's mine.”

A few seconds later he felt a boot crashing into his ribs and he groaned in pain. Felicity's hand flew to her mouth to stifle the scream that rose in her throat.

“I should answer.”

“What? It won't happen, so forget it.”

Oliver knew that he had to figure out a way to get them to allow him to pick up his phone. It was Diggle who was calling, and if Oliver didn't answer, Diggle would come into the bank, which might end up getting him shot.

He played his only card: the truth, and he hoped it would work.

“It's my bodyguard who is calling, and I should answer if you don't want him coming in.”

“Bodyguard?”

“Who the hell are you?”

He got up slowly, because sudden movements weren't recommended with such a nervous person who was holding a gun pointed at you.

“Oliver Queen… I didn't expect this.”

Other hostages murmured, confused. Nobody understood what the billionaire was doing there.

“Shut up! Okay, Queen. Pick up the damn phone, but if you give him the slightest clue of what's going on in here, I'll kill her,” he threatened as he aimed at a woman who was lying next to him.

Oliver slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket, thinking about what he could say to Diggle to let him know what was happening. He knew he must be very careful, because although it seemed that they were reluctant to use their guns, he didn't want to take any risks. Oliver knew Diggle well enough to be sure that if he realized it was a robbery, he wouldn’t come in and risk the lives of the hostages, but Oliver thought that Diggle could at least follow the robbers once they were leaving the bank, so Oliver decided to take the opportunity to tell him what was going on.

“Hey _John.”_

Felicity smiled when she heard him. Oliver was much more intelligent than people thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	3. The Phone Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews. And thanks also to my beta; your help is priceless, **luvtheheaven!** But I especially want to thank to those people who left reviews, because I love to know what you think. You’ve been so kind to me so far, but please don't be afraid to tell me if there is something that it doesn't make sense to you, or that you think is wrong. If you prefer, you can also send me a PM ;-)  
>  That said, I guess you want to know how it the phone call between Oliver and Diggle went… Am I right? Yes? Okay, don't worry, I won't make you wait anymore. Here you have the third chapter. Enjoy it!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 3. The Phone Call**

Diggle was playing one of those silly games Felicity had forced him to install on his phone. Somehow, she always managed to get him to do what she wanted.

Bored, he checked his watch. It had been a while since Oliver had entered the bank, and he found strange that Oliver hadn’t contacted with him yet, so he called him. When Diggle heard the fourth ringtone he began to realize something was out of the norm. Oliver never took more than two tones to pick up the phone. Sometimes he wondered if he slept with it in his hand.

“Hey _John_ ,” Oliver said with particular emphasis on his name.

_John? Did he just call me John?_ Felicity often used his first name, but Oliver didn’t. Never. _Something must be wrong, very, very wrong._

“What's going on, Oliver?”

“Yes, I'm _still_ here,” he preferred not to say 'we' for Felicity's safety. “I didn't think there would be so many people, so I'll take a little longer than I thought. And I still have a lot of work to do, so I'll have to finish it at night.”

_Night work? That can only mean one thing: Arrow-Business. And given that he was in a bank, that probably meant some kind of robbery was what was going on at the moment._

“Oliver, I need to know how many robbers there are and if they are armed.”

“Yes, yes, of course, I'll be on time for the lunch. Is it at two, right?”

_Well done, Oliver. Right now I bless your poker face._

“How many hostages have been taken? Is anyone hurt?”

“ _No_ , but you know that I don't like when I have to wait; it gets on my nerves. And knowing that this _afternoon_ at _five_ I have a meeting with investors is not helping much, truth be told.”

_This afternoon? At five? Might he mean...?_

“17?”

“That's it.”

“I'll call the police right now.”

“No, it's not necessary, don't worry. But I need you to do something for me. I'm expecting a call from _Quentin_ and I'm running out of battery, so I'm going to turn off the phone as soon as I hang up. If I don't answer, he'll try my other cell phone. So, can you stop by the office and pick it up? And if he calls, tell him I'm busy, and that I'll contact him as soon as I can.”

Felicity had configured Oliver's phone so that if Lance called the Arrow and Oliver didn't answer, the call automatically would go to Diggle's phone. Oliver knew that as soon as Lance was aware that Felicity was in trouble he’d call The Arrow. But this time he’d be unable to help, and Diggle would have to invent a plausible excuse for Lance.

Perhaps the precautions Oliver was taking were excessive, but he preferred to have everything under control, just in case.

“All right, man, but if you all aren't out of there in half an hour, I'll call the police.”

“Hey, I _have_ to hang up.”

Diggle guessed that the robbers demanded it.

“Nooo!” A woman shouted. “Tell him! Help!”

It was the last thing Diggle heard before the line went dead. The other hostages clearly weren't as calm as Oliver was.

The unmistakable sound of a gunshot made Diggle’s blood run cold.

“Okay, change in plans. I can’t wait. If I don't call the police, somebody else will do it,” he thought aloud as he dialed Lance's number.

“Officer Lance. Who is this?”

“It's John Diggle.”

“Queen's driver?”

Diggle grimaced at that. He didn't like to be considered just his _black driver_ , but he understood that they had to keep up appearances.

“Yeah ... There's a robbery in the bank on Collins Street. Two armed men.”

“Wait, wait a minute. How do you know?”

“I just spoke to Mr. Queen. I guess he explained to the robbers that if he doesn't get in touch with me I'd call the police or something, so they let him talk to me. He managed to tell me what's going on without the robbers realizing what he was doing.”

“What the hell is he doing in _that_ kind of bank? That's not for billionaires.”

“He was accompanying Ms. Smoak.”

“What? Is she also being held hostage?”

“I'm afraid so. The two of them plus 15 other people. Until a minute ago nobody was injured, but I just heard a gunshot, so now I can't know for sure.”

“Okay, I got this.”

Just a few minutes later, his phone rang again; it was Lance, this time looking for The Arrow’s help.

“Ms. Smoak is in trouble.”

“I know.”

“How do you know? Never mind. I've already notified the precinct, and several SCPD units are on their way, but I guess you'll show up soon as well.”

“I’m sorry, but this time you are going to have to handle it without me.”

“What? We're talking about Ms. Smoak! She risks a lot for you! You can't just give up on her when she needs you the most!” His voice was filled with such outrage that Diggle was glad Oliver couldn't hear it. He didn't need to add any more guilt to his plate.

“I know, but I _can't_ do anything. Not this time.”

Although ‘Arrow's’ voice was distorted by the voice modulator installed on the phone, Lance could detect the sorrow that accompanied his words.

“What are you not telling me?”

“I'm on the trail of some pretty dangerous guys, and if I give up now I'll lose them forever. I can't be in two places at once.”

It was just the first thing that popped into Diggle’s mind, but luckily, Lance didn’t say anything, although he probably didn’t buy his lie.

“Well, you better pray that nothing happens to her,” Lance said before hanging up.

He had no need to add anything more to the sentence; he’d made his feelings clear. Since Felicity and Lance had worked together to disable the earthquake device, their relationship had strengthened and he really cared for her.

Diggle sighed. Sitting in the car he felt so powerless... There was nothing he could do to help. He thought about going to the lair and putting on the Arrow suit, but he knew that it was a ridiculous idea. It worked to fool the police once, when the Hood had to be seen somewhere in the city while Oliver was forced to stay home. But he hadn’t had to use the bow or do any of the stunts that Oliver would always do. Diggle had many skills, but he simply wasn't the Arrow.

His stomach clenched as he thought back on the shot. What if it had hit Oliver? What if it was Felicity who was injured?

Police sirens could be heard in the distance. He left the car and waited. Hopefully Lance would be the first to arrive, preventing him from having to repeat what he’d already told Lance to any new officers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If somebody is wondering why I chose "Collins Street", I'll say that it's my little attempt to remember Tommy, just because I miss him.  
> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	4. My life. My choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! How are you doing?  
> I can't believe your incredible support for this fic. Every kudos and review means a lot to me; and I'm very happy knowing you're enjoying this story so far. And I hope you'll like this chapter too. I'll only say that I love Felicity.
> 
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 4. My life. My choice.**

“Hey, I _have_ to hang up.”

The robbers were angrily gesturing to Oliver, making it clear he must end the call.

“Nooo!” A woman shouted. “Tell him! Help!”

The next thing Oliver heard made his blood run cold; it was the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. When he turned around he saw the younger brother trembling, staring in horror at the gun. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

“Can you tell me what the hell you were thinking?” the older one shouted to his brother.

“She was screaming, and his bodyguard was going to figure out what's happening... I just wanted to silence her.”

“It doesn't matter anymore! A gunshot, Mike? Really? The police must already be coming.”

“Have you filled the bags?”

“No, not yet,” the cashier answered nervously.

“We don't have time.”

“But we can't go yet. We need the money!”

“I know!” He began to pace back and forth nervously, and then police sirens could be heard approaching. “You are all going to get up slowly and walk to the windows, but keep your backs to them. I want to see your faces. You in the middle,” he said, pointing to Oliver.

They did what had been ordered, and somehow Felicity managed to get herself next to Oliver in the process. She was shaking slightly and Oliver did the only thing he could do to try to calm her. He slipped his hand in hers, and began to stroke small circles with his thumb. It worked. He felt how Felicity stopped shaking, but what surprised him was that it also helped him. While he had spoken to Diggle he hadn't realized how worried he was about her. Now that he was beside her, with their hands joined, he felt warmth in his chest he hadn't expected and that took him by surprise.

“It's done,” the cashier said quietly.

The older brother walked over to look at the bags.

“This isn't enough.”

“But it's all the cash I have in my cash drawer.”

“Don't lie to me!” he shouted as he aimed at her head.

“I can also take the bills from the other cubicles.”

“So what are you waiting for?”

The woman got up and went to another cash drawer in order to get them more money.

“Come on, hurry up! We don't have all day!”

Actually, they had very little time. Police sirens could be heard nearby. But the bags weren't full enough and they needed the money desperately. By their body language, Oliver concluded that they were unsure if they should try to get out of there right then or wait until they'd gotten the amount they needed, even if that would mean having to cope with the police. When one of the bank's phones started ringing, it was clear that they no longer had any choice to make.

The older one picked up the phone and turned on the speaker, but he said nothing.

“I'm Detective Lance, from the SCPD. Who's this?”

“Does it matter?”

“If you don't want me to call you just a robber, yes, it matters.” His voice was calm and strong, as if he had done this thousand times, although it was actually his first time. He knew that it was the head of Hostage Negotiations who should be making this call, but Lance didn't know when he would arrive, and there wasn't any time to waste.

“You can call me Henry.”

“Okay, Henry then. We heard a shot. Tell me, is anyone hurt? Do you need medical aid?”

“No!” the younger brother shouted.

He had fired his weapon, yes, but he had only done it to scare them. He could never shoot someone. He was not a murderer.

“Who's that? Your accomplice?”

“Why should I answer you?”

“Because if I can call you Henry, it wouldn't be fair for him to keep being called an accomplice, don't you think?”

“Mike, he's Mike.”

“Okay. Tell me, Henry.” In the police academy he’d learned that calling robbers by their names was the most effective way to reach them. “What do you want?”

“We're robbing a bank! What do you think we want?”

“2.53 million dollars, exactly,” Mike specified.

Felicity felt Oliver getting tense at her side. His mind was in full swing, and she wished she knew what he was thinking.

“That's a curious amount,” Lance said. As he didn't receive an answer, he kept talking.

“Tell me Henry, what will you do when you have the money? How do you plan to get out of there? The building is surrounded by the police.”

“You're going to get us out of here.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you'll get us an armored van. You have one hour.”

“I can bring the van, but my superiors will ask for something in return. Let the hostages leave.”

“Do you think I'm stupid? They are not going anywhere.”

“Listen, I need you to show me a sign of good faith. If not, my superiors won't let me negotiate with you. At least let the women and children leave.”

“I said _no_ , and I will _not_ change my mind. You have half an hour to get the van being in its way or I'll start killing people,” he threatened before hanging up.

He had no intention to carry out the threat, but the police didn't know it.

“Excuse me,” the cashier said hesitantly. “It's impossible to get that amount of money here.”

Everyone could see Henry's anger when he heard that.

“What did you say?”

Before the cashier could repeat herself, his younger brother began yelling at him. “You told me that with this robbery we would get the money! You lied to me!”

“Mike, listen to me. We'll get the money and we'll get out of here. Everything will be fine, but I need you to calm down. Okay?”

“The money is not for yourselves, is it?” Oliver asked, making everyone look at him.

“If I were you, I'd shut up.”

“What will you do? Are you going to kill me? Come on, we both know that you won't. If you do, you never will get out of here, and there is someone waiting for both of you on the outside. Am I wrong?”

“You think you're pretty smart, don't you? But you're right; I won't kill you. But I can't assure you the same about your Blondie.”

Oliver tightened his grip on Felicity, as she did her best to hide how much that comment frightened her.

“Come on, what else could you be doing here? Obviously you were accompanying someone, and due to the way she gasped when you were kicked and looking at the way you're holding her hand, I have no doubt that you came with her. I may not want to kill you, but I can take her with us in the armored van, so if I were you, I'd shut up right now.”

Oliver clenched his jaw but said nothing; he’d never expected his comment would cause Felicity to become a target. Feeling victorious, Henry turned to the cashier.

“Explain what you meant when you said that we can't get the money.”

“Our clients don't need a lot of cash, so we don't have that amount here. Even if I give you all we have here, it won't be enough.”

“Yeah, of course... But tell me, what about the safe that's hidden in the basement?”

“I don't know what you’re talking about.”

“I know there's a safe, so don't you dare deny it.”

“But ... how did you know?” The cashier asked surprised.

“I didn’t know. It was just a guess...”

“But you just confirmed it, babe,” Mike added.

“Anyway, there's only one person who can open it, and he's not here.”

“The bank manager? Don't worry; I'm sure our friend the policeman can bring him.”

Felicity listened to the conversation attentively. When she chose to keep her money in this bank she had thoroughly studied it, going a little further than just Googling it. So she knew where the safe was hidden and that only the bank manager knew the password, so he was the only one who could open it. Well... that wasn't quite true.

She didn't have the fighting skills of Oliver or Dig, but she _was_ an IT genius, and she wouldn't allow the police to bring the bank manager into harm’s way. There were already too many hostages there.

She squeezed Oliver's hand slightly to get his attention, and when their eyes met she whispered:

 “My life. My choice.”

“What?” he answered with a frown.

She took a deep breath, released Oliver's hand and took a step forward.

“There is another way.”

The robbers looked at her surprised.

“Felicity.”

She ignored him. She had heard him saying her name in a thousand different ways. He varied his tone to express all that he wasn't able to put in words, and she did understand. She always did. This time also. There was surprise and anger; even some pride for her bravery. But mostly there was fear. They both knew she was getting into the lion's den, and this time The Arrow couldn't come to her aid. But there could be no turning back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	5. Sometimes You Can Only Watch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I want to thank you for all the reviews and kudoss. Your support means a lot to me and encourages me to write more and more.  
> In the last chapter, I forgot to mention my beta... It won't happen again. You work very hard to help me, **luvtheheaven** , and I want everyone to know it. After all, if I can share this fic, it’s because of you and your amazing betaing-work.
> 
> I was thinking that we have been in the bank for a while now, so what do you think if we see what's going on outside? But don't worry! That doesn't mean that we won't find out what happens to Felicity.  
> Enjoy reading!
> 
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 5. Sometimes You Can Only Watch**

In the temporary “base of operations” that had been set up outside the bank, Lance hung up and turned to Smith, the Head of Hostage Negotiations.

“We won't bring them a van.”

“What about the hostages, Smith? He threatened to shoot the hostages. It could be a bluff, but we can't take that risk.”

“We have the only exit controlled and there are snipers on surrounding buildings. You're going to call back in fifteen minutes, and if they don't agree to release at least some hostages, we're going to prepare the tactical attack.”

Before Lance could complain about that, a woman who was sitting in front of some computers interrupted them. It was one of the Police Department's IT specialists.

“Excuse me, but the bank’s security company has already sent us the images from the surveillance cameras, so now we can see what's happening inside, although we have no audio.”

Both men approached the woman and watched the screens. Diggle, who had been with Lance since he arrived, followed them. It was Lance who broke the silence.

“They have all the hostages against the windows, so forget about the snipers.”

“And forcible entry is discarded too, for now,” Smith admitted reluctantly.

“So what now?” This time it was Diggle who spoke.

“Then we get an armored van within half an hour,” Lance stated, looking defiantly at Smith.

The other man held his gaze for a few seconds, but eventually gave up.

“Okay, I'll take care of that.” And with that, he left the base.

Lance turned to Diggle and asked, "Did you call Miss Queen?”

“No. She has already been through too much. With her mother in jail, her brother is all she has right now. Besides, Mr. Queen wouldn't want to worry her unnecessarily.”

“Unnecessarily? You really think they aren't dangerous?”

“No, I don't, Officer Lance. Taking into account what Oliver told me, it seems that they have no intention of hurting anyone. They probably just felt cornered and it made them nervous. But if we give them what they asked for, I think there won't be any problems.”

Lance nodded and picked up the phone to talk to the kidnappers and inform them that they'll soon have the armored van.

“Wait!” Diggle screamed.

Lance stopped dialing and looked at Diggle with a raised eyebrow.

“The robbers... They are talking to Mr. Queen,” he said, pointing to one of the screens.

“Yes, and they don't seem very happy.”

They saw how Oliver went from having a half smile to clenching his jaw hard. Diggle knew it could only be due to one thing, and the way he took Felicity's hand, as if he was afraid that she would disappear right then, told Diggle that he was right.

“Oliver must have bothered them and now they are threatening Miss Smoak.”

“What? How do you know that? Well, never mind.” _Something tells me he knows what he’s talking about._

After that, they saw Henry speaking to the cashier. Lance did a mental review of what he had to say to the robbers before he picked up the phone again to call them. But once again, he stopped dialing when he saw Felicity stepping forward, calling the attention of the robbers and the rest of hostages.

“What the hell is she doing?”

It was Lance's voice, but he had said aloud exactly the same thing that Diggle was thinking. Then, Smith came into the area and saw their faces of confusion, so he also looked at the screen to try to discover what was happening.

Felicity was talking to Henry, but about what they had no idea; it looked like she was trying to convince him to make a deal or something. Her determined gaze and chin being held up proved that she didn't regret what she was doing, although her shaking hands revealed that she was actually pretty nervous.

Lance left the phone on the table. While the robbers were speaking with one of the hostages, especially with Felicity, he wouldn't call them. That could trigger a response that he didn't want. They had already found out that Mike could get rattled easily.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Henry turned to his brother, said something to him and then beckoned to Felicity, who started walking with the older brother behind her.

In the operations base, they followed her through the different security cameras and saw Henry and Felicity going downstairs.

“What's down there?” Smith asked.

“There's a room full of office supplies...” the woman began to answer, as she tried to research the facts about that room as quickly as she could. “No, wait, there's also a safe, but it isn't public knowledge and it seems that the only way to access it is with a password that only the bank manager knows.”

“Then, why he's going down there with _her_?” Smith asked, not comprehending.

Lance and Diggle swallowed hard. They were the only ones who knew about Felicity's skills, and they guessed it had something to do with that.

“The manager isn't in the bank,” the woman said as the picture of a man appeared on one of the screens. “This is the manager, and he isn't one of the hostages. For whatever reason, today he isn’t at the bank.”

“But that still doesn't explain why this woman is going downstairs.”

Lance and Diggle kept silent for the moment. Neither of them wanted to admit that they knew why. They were sure that if they were right, the others wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

Felicity and Henry moved between shelves until they were at the back of the room. There was only one camera, and although the angle was perfect, it was quite far from where they were, so the video quality was worse. Still, they saw Henry moving some boxes. Then, Felicity approached the wall, as if she was observing something carefully. She said something to the robber, and after that, she pulled her tablet from her purse and sat down. It was then that they saw the little device on the wall.

“She's going to open the safe,” Lance stated.

“What? How?” Smith asked, more surprised by the confidence in Lance's voice than by what he said.

“By hacking it.”

Smith was going to ask something else, but at that moment, Lance' phone beeped.

“It's her.”

All eyes were on him.

“It's a message from Miss Smoak.” He read it and then handed the phone to the woman. “Connect it to the computer and turn on the speakers.”

She obeyed without questioning anything, though her face had quite the “questioning” expression. Then she spoke.

“Miss… Smoak, did you say her name was? She just provided us the audio we didn't have until now.”

It was true. Felicity's voice filled the room, and both Diggle and Lance felt relieved when they heard her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	6. Half-Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! First of all, I want to thank you for all the reviews and new kudos. You are the best! And thanks also to my beta; I don’t know what I would do without you, **luvtheheaven**!  
>  Have you guys watched any of her fanvids? They're great; her latest one "Queen Family Tribute" is really amazing. I recommend you to watch it. You won't regret it. Look for _"Arrow: Oliver/Moira/Thea -- Queen Family Tribute"_ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cquBzoxB0nA
> 
> I'd say that I'm sorry for the end of the chapter... But it would be a lie. As a friend told me once, fanfiction writers can be very evil. =P  
> I don't want to make you wait any longer, so here is the sixth chapter. Things start to get a little intense... Enjoy it! You also might want to remember, this fic takes place sometime after 2x02 of the show.
> 
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 6. Half-Truths**

“Anyway, there's only one person who can open it, and he's not here.”

“The bank manager? Don't worry; I'm sure our friend the policeman can bring him.”

Oliver was listening carefully when he felt Felicity squeezing his hand slightly. He looked at her and saw that she already was looking at him. Then she whispered:

“My life. My choice.”

“What?” he answered with a frown.

He didn't know what she was planning, but he was sure that whatever it was, it was a bad idea. She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Oliver wouldn’t approve; he could tell that by way she was looking at him. Then, she released Oliver's hand and took a step forward.

“There is another way.”

The robbers looked at her with surprise.

Oliver couldn't believe what he’d now figured out Felicity was going to do, and at the same time, he knew that she was just acting like the amazing and selfless woman she was. She always thought of others before herself and this time would be no different. She didn't know if the police would allow the bank manager become a hostage too, but if she could do something to avoid that situation, she would do it, even if it was by using her hacking skills.

He knew that she was going to ignore him, but still he called out her name.

“Felicity!”

There was shock and anger in his voice, and even some pride for her bravery. But mostly there was fear. They both knew she was getting into the lion's den, and this time The Arrow couldn't come to her aid. But there could be no turning back now.

Oliver didn't want Felicity to leave him; he wanted her safe, wrapped in his arms. But he knew he couldn't do that, so he clenched his fists and remained as calm as he could for Felicity's sake.

“What did you say?”

“I said that there's another option. You don't have to bring the bank manager here. It isn't necessary. I can open the safe.”

He mocked her.

“Are you kidding me? What could a mere secretary like you do?”

Felicity pursed her lips at that.

“Firstly, no, I'm not kidding; I'm completely serious. And secondly, I am an _Executive Assistant_ , not a secretary! There's a _big_ differ—. Wait! How do you know what my job is? Never mind. Will you let me open the safe for you or not?”

Oliver held back a smile. That was the remarkable Felicity Smoak: indignant when she was underestimated and always rambling at the most inopportune moments.

“Assuming you're telling the truth, how will you open it?”

“Well... Let's say I have some... eh... IT skills which might disagree with a few laws...”

“Are you saying that you are a hacker?”

“Of course not! That's such an ugly word... I would define myself more like an IT genius with incredibly good skills in decoding.”

Henry observed her silently, as if he was considering her offer. Then, he turned to his brother.

“I'll go downstairs with her to see what she can do. You stay here watching. If the phone rings, don't answer. Just let me know and I'll come back to pick it up.”

Mike nodded and Henry made a gesture to Felicity. She started walking, followed by the older brother.

Oliver saw her walking away slowly. He wished with all his might that she would turn back and give him one of her bright smiles, but she didn't. When Henry and Felicity disappeared downstairs, Oliver looked at Mike. He seemed much calmer than a few minutes ago. Oliver didn't know if it was because he’d now forgotten that he had used his gun or because he wasn't under the supervision of his brother, but Oliver knew that if he wanted to try to do something, it must be now.

Without wasting a second, Oliver asked, “Why did you demand that specific amount? Did you lose a bet? Are they going to take away your house? Who do you owe money to? Who do you have to settle a score with?”

“Be quiet, Queen!”

Oliver persisted, hoping if he remained calm and reasonable that Mike wouldn’t be able to resist answering.

“You owe money to someone important, I understand...”

“I said shut up!”

“…that you got mixed with the wrong people. What did they threaten you with?” Oliver felt like it was important to try and get as much information as he could.

Mike walked over to Oliver, aiming at his head. Mike had lost all of his composure, but Oliver was already beginning to get answers. By the way he was reacting, Oliver knew that they owed money to someone dangerous, and besides that, he was pretty sure that someone related to them had been kidnapped.

“Is it your sister?” After a small pause, Oliver asked, “Your wife?”

When Mike hit Oliver's jaw with the gun, Oliver groaned in pain and dropped to his knees. He had seen the blow coming, so he could have avoided the blow, but he didn't want to reveal his skills. A trickle of blood flowed from the cut on his right cheek.

“So they kidnapped your wife,” Oliver continued, pressing him.

“Shut up if you don't want to know how it feels to get shot!”

_I wish I didn't already know how that feels,_ Oliver thought bitterly. Of course he couldn't say that aloud, though; it would raise a lot of questions that he didn't want to answer. But he could try to empathize with Mike, so he said, "I know what you're going through."

“You have no idea! You don't know what it’s like to lose people you love! You can't even imagine how it feels when your wife is kidnapped and it’s your own fault.” His voice broke at the end.

Oliver hung his head and sighed deeply. He saw images of all his loved ones who had been injured or killed over the years. His sorrow could be heard in his voice when he began to speak.

“I know that feeling far better than you can imagine. When the ship I was on sank, I saw my friend disappear under water. She was on the boat with me. If I hadn't asked her to come with me, she would be alive. I also lost my father that night.”

Oliver never thought he would open up and talk about all that, much less with a robber in a bank full of hostages, where everyone was listening to what he was saying. But despite how hard it was for him, he knew that it was the only way to reach Mike. And while he was changing some details, the baseline was real, as were his emotions. He got up slowly as he continued talking.

“I spent five years on an island until some fishermen rescued me. When I returned, nothing was the same. Five years is a long time.

“Not long ago, my sister was kidnapped by someone who was trying to make me pay for my mother's involvement in the earthquake that devastated the Glades, even though I know she was forced into doing it by Malcolm Merlyn. Five-hundred and three people died that night. One of them was my best friend. My relationship with my mother will never been the same.

“So yeah... I know what it's like to lose someone. I know what it's like to see someone you love being taken away because of you. I know the fear, the despair, the helplessness... I know the guilt.” Oliver stepped forward to be right in front of Mike. “I know how you feel. I know you're scared, but let me help you. Free the other hostages. I'll stay. I know you want to save your wife, Mike, but if you continue like this, the police won't let you make it out of here alive. You don't want to hurt anyone, I know that. Give me the gun.”

Mike said nothing, but his face showed his inner battle. He didn't know if he should believe what Oliver had just said. He couldn't know if it was true or if Oliver was trying to manipulate him, but it certainly sounded reasonable. It was likely that the police would shoot him and his brother in the head as soon as they could.

Mike looked down at his gun. Oliver was about to take it. Despite the fact that Mike knew that Henry wouldn't agree with it, he seemed to be deciding that he needed to put his trust in Oliver. Mike had been so easy to convince that Oliver couldn't believe it. After that, Oliver was sure that disarming Henry would be a walk in the park. Oliver couldn't have been more wrong.

“What the hell are you doing, Mike?!”

Henry's cry broke the spell. Mike's gaze went from calm to absolute fury. There was a quick hand movement, a scuffle... The hostages screamed, and Henry screamed too. When a shot echoed in the room, time seemed to stop. Silence fell, and no one dared to move. Finally, a grunt of pain brought all of them out of their stupor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!
> 
> Also, if any of you are interested, I have a fic called _The Power of Words_ which is a series of unrelated oneshots – I just posted chapter 3. I’d really appreciate getting a comment or another bookmark or kudos over there, while you’re waiting for me to post chapter 7 of this fic! (También lo tenéis en castellano, _"El poder de las palabras"_ )  
> English: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1204381/chapters/2459833  
> Castellano: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1138328/chapters/2302122
> 
> Por último, pero no por ello menos importante, me gustaría comentaros que ElectricalMarauder ha creado un foro de Arrow en castellano para hablar de la serie, sus personajes… También hay retos de escritura de fics (el primero ya está en marcha), juegos… ¡Pasaos si tenéis un ratito! ;-)  
> Os espero allí!!! Por cierto, si ponéis en Google "Historias de Starling City" (con comillas y todo) os sale; y si lo preferís, este es el link: www.fanfiction.net/forum/Historias-de-Starling-City/154403/


	7. This Is Not a Movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I think I should apologize for this chapter.  
> It's from Felicity's POV and the truth is that it was funny to write, because here she's so... so Felicity, with her ramblings, and her innocence, and her spontaneity... But I have to apologize because -thanks to your reviews and PM's- I know you're eager to know what happens next, and well... You won't find out yet; because this chapter happens in the same time period than the previous one, and it ends almost at the same point. So yeah, sorry for that, but I think it's important for you to know what happens between Henry and Felicity so that you could understand some future things I have planned for this fic.  
> From here, I want to express my sincere respect for the fantastic fanfic writers who are able to update their fics almost every day. I really admire you. I wish I could do the same, but I just can't. So as you know, I post only one chapter per week.  
> But… This time I’ll make an exception, and I’ll post another chapter too. So yeah! You get two chapters in a day. This is because when I was talking with my beta I realized that posting only this chapter would be very mean.  
> I hope you'll appreciate the effort that both **luvtheheaven** and I made so you can enjoy these two chapters at once.
> 
> Having said all that, I want to say that I’m very grateful for the comments, bookmarks and kudos. Thank you very much!  
> I hope you’ll enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 7. This Is Not a Movie**

When Henry gestured, Felicity walked towards the stairs with him at her back. She knew that Oliver had his gaze on her. She happily would have given him a reassuring smile, but she feared that if she turned around, she wouldn't be able to leave him.

They went downstairs in silence as Felicity tried to remember everything she knew about the safe. They went through a short corridor and entered a large room. They maneuvered around shelves until they were at the back of the room.

“The door is right there,” she said, pointing at the carefully stacked boxes.

Henry looked at Felicity menacingly, as if he was challenging her to try to do some trick while he moved the boxes aside, revealing a small device. Felicity observed it in silence.

Then she turned to Henry and said, “I need to get my tablet from my purse.”

She waited a little bit, in case Henry would say something, but as he didn't, Felicity took out the tablet with a shrug. Then, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall, and started working.

“I don't want any tricks.”

“Trick? What trick?” she asked, playing dumb.

“I meant things like pulling the fire alarm or using your tablet right now to call the police, for example.”

“I think you've seen too many movies. No offense,” she said, blushing.

“So you're saying you're not capable of those things?”

“Of course I’m capable! But it would be pointless, as the police are already aware of the situation, and I value my life too much to try anything. Not that my life is perfect, but I have a good job, some great friends and... I'll shut up and focus on open the safe.”

Henry looked at her curiously. Felicity was telling him all that was going through her mind without worrying about the consequences.

Felicity knew that the security company had access to the bank's surveillance cameras, but the recordings had no audio, so that was the first thing she wanted to fix.

Fortunately, a while back she had created some programs and applications which were on her tablet now as an undetectable recording system that could send audio to any mobile phone. She knew that Lance would appreciate it, especially if she was able to get a nice confession out of Henry. So far, he didn't stop any of her ramblings, which indicated that he probably would be willing to have a conversation with her.

Felicity realized that she was right when he asked, “Why are you doing this? Why do you want to help us? Don’t you fear that the police could think that you're our accomplice?”

“What?! An accomplice?! You're not serious, are you? I don't want go to jail; I don’t belong there. I'm _not_ a criminal! Also, I'm not _helping_ you. You wanted to bring the bank manager in, and well, I don't think the police were going to agree to that. They would at the very least ask you for something in return, and I didn't know if you were going to be willing... So I preferred to avoid that situation.

“So, answering your question of why I'm doing this... I just want to avoid the manager being held hostage too. _Nothing_ _to do_ with criminal activities, and I really hope the police will believe that, because I _don't_ want go to jail. I'm not going to go to jail, right?”

She knew she sounded like a child, but she knew the police were now listening and she hoped it would convince the police of her innocence.

Felicity wanted to change the subject and obtain Henry's confession, but she hesitated before asking, “And you? Why are you doing this?”

Her question surprised him.

“You're a pretty unusual girl, you know?”

“Yeah, well, I have always drawn attention, and not always in a positive way, but you didn't answer me. Why?”

“We need the money.”

“Oh! _Really_? And I thought it was for fun,” she answered wryly. For a second, it seemed that she was talking to a friend instead of to an armed robber.

“Let's say that my brother borrowed money from someone and now he has to return it.” Henry didn't know why he was telling all of that to Felicity, but something about her made him confess. He didn't know if it was her sincerity, her courage or how she had faced him, but he couldn't help it. _This woman is definitely anything but normal._

“So he got caught up with the wrong people... What?” she asked when she saw his frown. “You're not the only one who watches movies, although lately I haven’t been able to go to the theater at all.

“So… you thought you would rob the bank, pay back the money and go on as though nothing had happened, right? But things didn't go as they were planned. You have a handful of hostages and the police have the building surrounded. I think you're in _serious trouble_. You should surrender.”

“Surrender?! Are you serious?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Because then we're going to go straight to jail, we will not be able to return the money and my—” Henry suddenly fell silent.

“There is something you're not telling me, right? Okay, if this was a movie... I'd say there'd been a kidnapping or something... Oh!” Felicity raised her hands to her mouth when she realized that she was right. Henry had grimaced when she mentioned the word 'kidnapping'. “Who is it?”

“My _pregnant_ sister-in-law. And thank God my brother still doesn't know.”

“Listen. I understand your situation, I really do, but why don’t you talk to the police? Explain to them what's happening; tell them about her. I'm sure they can do something.”

More than the police, Felicity was thinking Oliver could help, but that was something she couldn't say aloud. She didn't know how many people were listening in addition to Lance, so she couldn't admit that she was helping the Arrow.

“They'll kill her.”

Felicity bit her lower lip. She wanted to find a way to get Henry to surrender. She knew Oliver could save the woman that night, but to do that, they had to get out of there first.

When Felicity's tablet beeped, Henry asked, “What was that?”

“The decoder program is running. Now we just have to wait, and given the level of its security ... I think that the safe's door will open in about fifteen minutes. Maybe a little less.”

“Fifteen minutes?!” Henry exclaimed.

“What do you want?! I only have my tablet! And this isn't a movie.”

Felicity saw that with that last sentence the recent tension decreased. Henry’s expression became a slight smile.

“Okay, let's go upstairs. It's been almost half an hour since I talked to the police, so probably they'll call again soon.”

When they came back to the main hall, the image they found shocked both of them. Oliver and Mike were facing each other, only a few inches away. But the most surprising was that Oliver's hand was about to take the gun.

“What the hell are you doing, Mike?!”

Henry's cry broke the spell. There was a quick hand movement, a scuffle... The hostages screamed, and Henry screamed too. When a shot echoed in the room, time seemed to stop. Silence fell, and no one dared to move. Finally, a grunt of pain brought all of them out of their stupor.

“Oliver!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	8. There Is No Worse Feeling than Helplessness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I posted two chapters in a row, so please, make sure you have read the previous one ;-)  
> Enjoy reading!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 8. There Is No Worse Feeling than Helplessness**

From the base of operations, Felicity could be seen on camera, working on her tablet as she talked to Henry. Thanks to her, the team could also hear their conversation, discovering that the reason for the robbery was none other than to get the money they needed to rescue one of their wives.

The woman who was sitting in front of the computers began typing furiously.

“What are you doing, Emma?” Smith asked her.

“I'm trying to discover who the kidnapped woman is, who has taken her, and where they are. If we find her, maybe they'll surrender.”

“Well… tell us if you find anything.”

“Of course, sir.”

Everyone then looked at Lance when he swore. “What the hell are you doing, Queen?”

When the others looked at the same screen as Lance, they understood his reaction. Mike had just hit Oliver with the gun, making a small cut on his cheek. But then Oliver got up and he was approaching Mike as he talked to him.

At that moment they heard a beep and then heard Henry asking, “What was that?”

“The decoder program is running. Now we just have to wait, and given the level of its security ... I think that the safe's door will open in about fifteen minutes. Maybe a little less.”

“Fifteen minutes?!” Henry exclaimed.

“What do you want?! I only have my tablet! And this isn't a movie.”

“Okay, let's go upstairs. It's been almost half an hour since I talked to the police, so they'll probably call again soon.”

While they saw Henry and Felicity going upstairs, they also saw that Oliver was about to take Mike's gun.

“No, no, no...” Diggle muttered.

“Come on, Queen, hurry up!” Lance cheered, surprising himself and also the others; all of them were well aware of his poor relationship with the young man.

When Henry and Felicity came back to the main hall, Oliver still didn't have the gun. In the base of operations, the team saw Oliver and Mike struggling for a moment, while the faces of the hostages went from fear to terror.  Felicity had to leave the tablet in the downstairs room, so they had no audio, and couldn't know what exactly was going on, but still, they could hear a gunshot. The next thing they saw was Oliver clutching at his abdomen and falling to his knees, and Felicity running beside him.

“Oliver.” Diggle sighed, afflicted.

He felt bad for his friend. It seemed that the five years of hell that he spent on Lian Yu hadn't been enough. Back in Starling City he put his life in danger almost every night. Diggle had lost count of the times he had seen Oliver hurt. But this time he couldn't help; he had to settle for just being a witness to it.

Lance wasted no time and picked up the phone to call the robbers.

“I'm Officer Lance again. We heard a shot. What happened? Is anyone hurt?”

“The gun fired by accident, as a cop you know that sometimes it happens,” Henry answered.

“Do you need medical care? I can send somebody.”

“No! It's not necessary.”

Lance looked at the others with wide eyes. All of them had the same question in mind. _Why was he saying they didn’t need medical help in there?_

“Are you sure?”

“I said _no_. Where’s my van? Is it ready?”

“Not yet; there has been a problem and it will take longer than we thought.”

“You have half an hour,” Henry said before hanging up.

“It's not necessary? Of course it's needed!” Dig shouted.

“Calm down, Mr. Diggle,” Smith demanded.

“Calm down? They just shot Oliver! He has a bullet wound in the abdomen, and they're denying him the medical attention he needs. And you’re asking me to calm down?”

Lance put his hand on Diggle's forearm and said softly, “Come with me for a moment, Mr. Diggle. Let's get out of here.”

When Lance thought they were far enough from any person who could hear them, he said in a confident tone, “I know how you feel. I thought that you were just Oliver's bodyguard or driver, but now I can see that he's much more than just your employer. I know that you're worried about him, and that you feel totally powerless here, outside, unable to do anything to help him.”

Diggle wanted to say something but Lance stopped him.

“Let me finish. I also noticed that you weren't surprised by Miss Smoak’s technological skills, and although I admit that this shocked me, I'll pretend I haven't realized that and I'll let it go... for now. Anyway… listen carefully. I may not be Oliver’s biggest fan, but I don't want him to die. I know you want the robbery to end soon, and I do too; but I need you to calm down, or Smith won't let you stand with us. Understood?”

Diggle nodded in silence. He’d lost his temper for a moment, which was strange for him, but he’d now recovered his composure and he wouldn't let it happen again.

After that, the two returned to the base of operations. Smith gave Diggle a look of disapproval, but Diggle just ignored it. He had more important things to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	9. The Value of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for the delay.  
> As always, I want to thank you for all the comments and new kudos and bookmarks. Your support means a lot to me and encourages me to write more and more. And thanks also to my beta; your help is priceless, **luvtheheaven**!
> 
> A brief note: This chapter refers to something specific which was shown in episode 2x04 to have happened to Oliver on the island, although this fic is set before that episode. I hope you all have seen through this episode, anyway, so it won’t be a spoiler for anyone.  
> Here you have the ninth chapter. Enjoy it!
> 
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 9. The Value of Time**

Oliver kept looking at Mike's eyes, even when Mike looked down toward the gun, watching that Oliver was about to take it. A few inches more and Oliver would have the gun.

From the corner of his eye, Oliver saw some movement, and a blonde ponytail caught his attention, which for a moment made him forget what he was doing.

A second later, Henry's cry broke the spell. “What the hell are you doing, Mike?!”

Oliver reacted quickly, but Mike's grip on the gun also hardened. The struggle lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed like much longer. The hostages started screaming, and Henry screamed too, until the sound of a shot silenced everyone.

Oliver heard the gunshot. At first he wasn’t sure who had fired it, or where the bullet had gone. But almost instantly, he felt as if fire had spread through his abdomen. Although he was all too familiar with pain, he couldn't help but let out a grunt. His hands reached for the wound instinctively, and within a few seconds, they were stained with warm blood. He fell to his knees, trying to take deep breaths. He could hear Mike at his side muttering apologies, saying that he hadn't wanted to shoot him, that it had been an accident and that he was sorry. Mike repeated it over and over again, as if he could undo the damage if he simply said it enough times, but Oliver ignored him. He also ignored the fact that the other hostages had begun to scream again. Before long, Henry silenced them.

He only paid attention to one thing: the voice of the blonde woman who shouted his name from across the room. A moment later, Felicity was at his side.

“Oh, Oliver,” she whispered.

“I’m fine,” he said in an attempt to calm her, even though he knew it would be useless.

He clenched his jaw tightly, and he realized that unlike other times when he’d been injured, this time he couldn’t keep his breathing calm.

“I need you to check and see if there is an exit wound,” Oliver asked, taking off his jacket with a great deal of difficulty.

He also lifted his shirt in order to see the severity of the wound, while Felicity was checking what had happened to the bullet. She didn't find an exit wound and when she was about to tell him that, she saw that he was still looking down. When she followed his glance and saw the wound that was bleeding profusely, she gasped.

“Oh my God, Oliver! Lie down, come on, lie down!”

He let out an almost inaudible grunt of pain when he moved so that he could lie back. Felicity grabbed his jacket and put pressure on the wound, making Oliver gasp.

“I'm sorry, Oliver, I'm so sorry, but we need to stop the bleeding,” she said apologetically, knowing the pain she was causing him.

“What about the bullet, Felicity?”

“There's no exit wound. The bullet must still be inside. That's bad, isn't it?” Oliver just growled in response. “I'll take that as a yes.”

Henry walked over to them.

“How's he doing?”

“Are you seriously asking that?! Your brother just shot him; how do you think he's doing?” Felicity screamed.

“I didn't want to! It was an accident,” the younger brother defended himself, brokenly.

“Mike, don't worry, nothing will happen to you, okay?” Henry tried to calm down his brother. “I’ll make sure of it.”

His voice was muffled by the bank's phone ring. Henry picked it up and waited.

“I'm Officer Lance again. We heard a shot. What happened? Is anyone hurt?”

“The gun fired by accident; as a cop you know that sometimes it happens.”

“Do you need medical care? I can send somebody.”

“No! It's not necessary.”

Felicity looked at him, shocked. _Why is he saying we don’t need medical help?_

“Are you sure?”

“I said _no_. Where’s my van? Is it ready?”

“Not yet; there has been a problem and it will take longer than we thought.”

“You have half an hour,” Henry said before hanging up.

Felicity couldn't contain herself, and glaring at him furiously, but without loosening the pressure on Oliver's wound, she snapped at him. “I thought you didn't want to hurt anyone!”

“We didn't.”

“You're a _liar_!”

“Felicity, it's okay,” a quiet voice piped in. It was Oliver who spoke. He doubted that angering the robbers would be helpful. “Mike was going to give me the gun. He was about to surrender. It was an accident.”

“I don't care, Oliver. You're hurt, and you _need help_. He needs help!” she yelled again at Henry. “Why didn't you let them send in medical care?”

“And let an undercover cop inside? No, thank you.”

“Again with the movie clichés?!”

“Maybe, but I’m not taking that risk. We didn't want to hurt anyone, and none of this should have happened. But we need the money, so if I have to deny your friend medical help in order to get out of here with what we came for, then _I will_.”

“So you just are going to let him bleed out?! I didn't think you were a bad person, but I see I was very wrong. You're a monster!”

“Shut up!” Mike yelled.

“Felicity,” Oliver called to her softly. “Felicity, look at me. Please.”

She did as he asked. Although he hadn't groaned again, she could see that he was in a great deal of pain. His jaw was clenched, his forehead wrinkles were more noticeable than ever, and he was sweating a lot.

“Felicity, it's okay, I'll be fine.”

“But you don't know that, Oliver,” she answered fearfully as her eyes watered.

She wanted to be strong for him, so she blinked to keep the tears away. It wasn't the first time she’d had to deal with an injured Oliver, but they always had been able to go to the lair. But this time... She didn't know what would happen, and that scared her. Besides, Oliver never showed signs of pain, so the fact that this time she could see so easily how much he was suffering frightened her even more.

“Hey, trust me,” Oliver assured her. “It's not as bad as it seems. The bullet didn't hit any major organs.”

“You can't know that.”

“Yes I can. If the bullet had pierced my liver, stomach, or intestines, for example, I would already have fainted; either from loss of blood, or from mass infection. So no, it's not so bad, although it hurts like hell.”

In these moments, Oliver wasn't The Arrow. He just was Oliver Queen, and so he knew that he shouldn't hide his suffering. He neither wanted to try, because he knew that doing so would take a large amount of effort, and he needed to save his energy. . Besides, he thought that if Felicity could see that he was in pain, and that for once he wasn't trying to pretend otherwise, then hopefully she would also believe what Oliver had just told her. Felicity needed to remain calm and focused. Oliver needed it; he needed her to be his anchor, to help him through whatever might come next.

He knew that his injury was more serious than he’d said. Even if he was right and the bullet hadn't hit any organs, he had been shot and he was bleeding a lot. _Perhaps even more than we can see if I'm also bleeding internally. But we'll only be able to know that once we’re in the hospital... and only if we ever get there, of course,_ Oliver thought bitterly, as it seemed that Henry wasn't very eager to let them free.

That was why he was so glad that Felicity was with him. He knew he was being selfish and he wasn't proud of it. Of course he wanted her to be somewhere safe, but the truth was that being with Felicity calmed him.

The previous time he’d gotten shot in the abdomen, he’d been locked in a cold and dirty cell. He had been shot in order to test his strength and courage. He’d had to remove the bullet and stitch the wound on his own. It wasn't a pleasant memory. He remembered the fear and the pain; but mostly, he remembered the humidity, the feeling of wet clothes sticking to his skin, the cold getting into his bones...

“Henry, please,” Felicity begged. “He needs a hospital. _Please._ ”

The robber was staring at the floor, lost in his own thoughts, deciding what to do. He couldn't let anyone go into the bank, but at the same he didn't want to deal with a death. He checked his watch. It had been five minutes since Felicity had launched the decoder.

“Ten minutes,” Henry said in a quiet voice.

“What?” Felicity asked, confused.

“In ten minutes the safe will open and we can get the money. Then, he’ll be free to go to the hospital. But until then, _no one_ gets out of here.”

Felicity nodded. The nightmare would end soon. She looked at Oliver once again, and what she saw scared her even more. He was pale, and she could see that his breathing was labored. She wanted to stroke his cheek to give him some comfort, but she couldn't move either one of her hands, as she knew it was important to keep compressing the wound.

“Did you hear that, Oliver? Ten minutes. And then you can go to the hospital.”

He didn't answer. He seemed to be elsewhere, far away, and Felicity knew where he was.

“Oliver, do you hear me? You're _not_ alone, and you're _not_ in Lian Yu. Come back to me, Oliver. Come back to me.”

But he was lost in his memories. He could see the bars of the cell and smell blood, his blood. He could feel the cold. He was alone. But actually he wasn't. A voice was repeating it over and over again, like a litany. He focused on the voice, on what it said, and he gradually left the memories behind and returned to the present. He focused on Felicity, on her voice, and on her eyes which were full of worry. And yet, the cold feeling didn't go away.

“Felicity,” he whispered.

“I'm here, Oliver. I won't go anywhere,” her voice was strong. _I promise Oliver. Whatever happens, I won't leave you._

Felicity sighed when she saw the corners of Oliver's mouth slightly rising. Her brain-mouth filter had failed again and she had also said the last part aloud.

“I know, Felicity.”

She felt her heart warming a little with that statement. Oliver trusted her, she knew that; but there had been something else. Maybe it was because he was bleeding and she was scared, but it seemed to her that he meant more than he had actually said.

“Only ten minutes and then we can go to the hospital, Oliver.”

She didn't realize that she’d said ‘we’ instead of ‘you’, but she wasn't going to leave him. She had promised it and he trusted her. She took a deep breath to calm down. She had read a lot about first aid since she’d joined Oliver, and now was the time to implement what she’d learned.

“How do you feel?”

“Cold.”

Felicity pressed the wound harder. Feeling cold was one of the first symptoms of hypovolemic shock from too much blood loss. Soon would come the chills, the tachycardia, the disorientation...

She was scared. Visibly he hadn't lost so much blood, and that could only mean one thing: he was bleeding internally. When Henry had said "ten minutes" she’d felt relieved, but now she feared that would be too long to wait.

Felicity thought about everything Diggle had taught her. Oliver's life depended on her, so she would do everything she could to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	10. Mistaken Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. I'm sorry I couldn't update until now, but sometimes RL interferes too hard and I can't spend the time I would like to write fanfiction.  
> Once again, I want to thank you for all the comments and new bookmarks and kudos. And thanks also to my beta; **luvtheheaven** , only you know how much your support and help means to me.
> 
> A brief note: I'm going to bring up Sophie from chapter 2 again in this chapter. I'm mentioning this just in case you don't remember her and you would like to revisit that chapter.
> 
> Enjoy the reading!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 10. Mistaken Guilt**

Henry looked at his brother. Mike was very nervous, especially now that he’d shot Oliver Queen. Despite Felicity's efforts, his blood was seeping through the jacket with which she was pressing the wound, creating a puddle on the floor. _Hang in there, man. My brother won't get over it if you die._ Henry checked his watch. It had only been six minutes. _Why does time pass so slowly?_ he wondered.Then he looked at the hostages. They were very scared, but he knew that was normal. They were being held by who they considered to be two crazy armed men, and a fellow hostage was bleeding out. Henry knew that if he was in their situation, he also would be scared. It was then that he first saw one of them: a little boy. His hand was holding his mother's hand so tightly that his knuckles were white. Tears were streaming down his face profusely. That sight made something stir in him, and Henry wondered if maybe it was time to do something good.

Henry knelt before him and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

The boy nodded and looked at his mother for approval. She gave him a watery smile.

Henry got up and went to talk to his brother. They spoke low enough so that no one else could hear them, and then Henry made his announcement with his gaze fixed on the kid's mother.

“Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once. We don't want anyone else getting hurt, and as a gesture of good faith we're going to release some of you.”

Henry knelt beside the kid and told him, “You're going to get out of here now, okay?”

“And my mom?” the boy asked, still with teary eyes.

He couldn't say no. Not after all he had put the kid through.

“Yes, your mom too. And take that old couple with you,” he added, looking at the kid's mother as he gestured toward the couple to which he was referring. “Come on, hurry!”

The mother took her son in her arms and saw that the elderly man was using a cane to walk; so she waited beside the door until the couple was beside her before leaving the bank. When they opened the door, everyone inside the bank could hear cop's screams ordering not to fire, but when the door closed, they were isolated from the noise again.

Henry then approached Felicity. He saw that the jacket with which she was trying to plug the wound was completely soaked, so he took off his own shirt and offered it to her, leaving him wearing just his tank top.

She was so concerned about the billionaire that she didn't even notice him doing this from a foot away, so Henry crouched beside her and placed the shirt on her hands. At first she startled, but she quickly realized what he wanted.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

She pulled out her hands from between the two garments before again putting pressure on the wound, her hands now on top of the new shirt. This caused a grunt of pain from Oliver. She felt guilty about it, but it was necessary.

“Hey Oliver, it will be over soon. Just hang in there a bit longer, okay?”

“Felicity?” he said, shakily.

“Yeah?”

“I'm fine.”

“No, you're not fine, but you will be. As soon as the safe's door is open and they have the money, they'll free us.”

“Felicity.”

“Mm hmm?”

“I'm sorry.”

“Sorry for what? I don't understand.”

“For this situation. If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have happened.”

“Oliver, you can't be serious. I know you have a tendency to blame yourself for everything bad that happens around you, but this?”

“If I hadn't come, Diggle wouldn't have called me in the middle of the robbery, the woman wouldn't have screamed and Mike wouldn't have fired, so the building wouldn't be surrounded by police.”Oliver's voice grew weaker as he spoke so he stopped to catch his breath, so that he’d be able to finish his explanation.  “If I hadn't come, the robbers would have gotten the money and would already have been gone.”

“You are completely wrong. If you hadn't come, I would have been so scared during the robbery that I wouldn't have been able to help Sophie, the robbers would have gotten very anxious, Mike would have shot anyway, and the building would be surrounded by police with the difference that I would be alone and very frightened, so I wouldn't have been able to offer to open the safe, and therefore they would have had to bring in the bank manager.”Felicity then lowered her voice so much that Oliver had to strain to hear her.  “Plus, the police wouldn't have known why they are doing this.”

“What did you say?”he asked, thinking he had misunderstood her.

Felicity looked back at Henry and Mike, making sure that neither of them was paying attention to her conversation with Oliver. They weren't, so Felicity explained what she had done very quietly so that no one but Oliver could hear her. “Yeah, well... Let's say that Detective Lance received an audio gift when I was working on the safe.”

“You're remarkable.”

Felicity blushed; she couldn't help it. That phrase had a special meaning for her since the first time Oliver had said it.

“So don't ever say this is your fault, because if you hadn’t been here the situation would be worse, although you've been shot, and that's obviously bad, and if you hadn't been here you wouldn't have gotten shot... So I don't know if I should be glad you're here... You probably think I'm a bad person for being glad, don’t you?”

Oliver found the situation curious. Both were glad to be in the company of the other, and both felt guilty about it.

Felicity was waiting for Oliver's reassurance that she wasn’t a bad person, but as it didn't come, she thought that Oliver preferred to stay silent rather than give her an answer she wouldn't want to hear.

“Oh, God, you're right! How can I be glad about this? I must be the meanest person that’s ever existed. Even worse than Snow White's stepmother!”

Oliver chuckled at her comment, but it became a coughing fit that made his whole body shake. The sudden movement triggered a new and intense wave of pain through his body, making him gasp and close his eyes.

Felicity gently pushed his shoulder to make him lie down again, still pressing the wound with the other hand. Oliver became increasingly pale and sweaty. Moving her fingers to his neck, she checked his pulse. It was quick and weak and Felicity worried even more. She’d expected these symptoms; she just didn't expect them so soon. This was why she was now thinking that an organ must have been affected. That, or the internal bleeding was extreme. _Oliver, please... Hold on, just a little longer..._ She wanted to ask Henry, to beg him if necessary, to let Oliver out, or at least to allow someone from the outside to give him medical assistance.

Felicity looked at Henry. He was talking on the phone, she assumed with Lance. She had been so focused on Oliver that she hadn't even heard the phone. She looked back at Oliver, who still had his eyes closed.

“Oliver, do you hear me? You have to open your eyes. I need you to stay with me.”

He obeyed and fixed his gaze on her blue eyes.

“You're doing great, Oliver. Stay awake, okay? You can do it. I know you can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	11. You Don't Want His Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you doing? First of all, I want to thank you for the comments and new bookmarks and kudos. Your support means a lot to me. And thanks also to my beta; you’re awesome, **luvtheheaven**!
> 
> This chapter is short. The next chapters are short too. I know. But we're getting to the climax of the robbery, and I need to show you how all of them are doing. There are a lot of things happening at the same time. What happens in the bank is connected with what happens outside the bank. I need to show you this connection and its repercussion.  
> I know some of you will want to complain about the length of these chapters; but I would appreciate it if you could try to understand me (and my reasons) and if you would not be mad at me.
> 
> That said, don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 11. You Don't Want His Death**

When Diggle and Lance returned to the base of operations, they looked at the screens again. They didn’t have audio anymore, since Felicity’s tablet was in the basement, but at least they could see what was happening inside the bank.

They saw that Henry crouched in front of a little boy who was very frightened. Then he got up and spoke to Mike. Not long after, they saw the child and a woman who had to be his mother, and an elderly couple walking towards the door.

“Are the robbers letting them leave the bank?” Lance asked in disbelief.

“I can't believe that they're actually releasing hostages,” Diggle added in the same tone.

They quickly left the base, Smith shouting orders not to fire, explaining that some hostages were about to be freed.

When the hostages were out, several cops reached them and brought them to the ambulances. Although they didn't have any physical injuries, it was likely that they were in psychological shock and that they would need some kind of sedative.

Lance approached the young mother, followed by Diggle, and he asked the paramedics if she would be able to talk.

“Yes, of course. But don't push her too much. She's still scared.”

“Miss...”

“Samantha Moore.”

“Miss Moore.”

“Sam.”

“Ok, Sam then. Tell me, are you hurt?”

“No, I've already told them. I'm fine. I just want to go home with my kid and forget this nightmare.”

“I understand, but I need to ask you some questions. Do you think that you could answer me?”

She shrugged in response.

“Tell me, there is an injured man, right?”

“Yeah, Oliver Queen. He was shot in the stomach and was bleeding a lot, and a girl went over to help him, but it's useless; he's bleeding too much already!”

“Hey, Sam it's okay,” Lance tried to calm her down as he saw that she was getting very upset.

“Ten minutes!” she shouted suddenly.

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s what one of the robbers said, that in ten minutes they will have the money they need and that then they'll let him out.”

Lance heard Diggle letting out a deep sigh. That was good news.

“Did they say anything else? Something about how they would get out or where they will go?”

“Mmm... No, they didn't ... All they said is that they're doing this because they need the money. Before Oliver Queen was shot he got one of them to explain their reasons. They need the money to pay a ransom or something like that... I don't know, I'm not sure ... I wasn’t paying attention; I was more concerned about my child.”

“It's okay, Sam. You've helped us a lot. Thank you very much.”

Then, Lance turned to the paramedics.

“In about five minutes the robbers will free Mr. Queen. We only know that he has a bullet wound in the abdominal area. You need to be ready to help him by then.”

“Of course, Officer.”

Lance returned to the base of operations and Diggle followed him. It was time to make another call. They didn't answer until the fourth tone.

“Henry, I'm the detective, Lance, again. Thanks for releasing those hostages.”

“It was an incentive for you to bring us the damn van.”

“We know that one of the hostages was shot. How is he?”

“Alive.”

Diggle clenched his fists. With every word out of Henry's mouth, it was like he was being kicked in the gut.

“That's not enough information for me.”

“He has a gunshot wound to the abdomen.”

“How bad is it?”

“I don't know... The bleeding hasn't stopped, but he's still conscious.”

“I'll send the paramedics.”

“Don't you dare!”

“Listen, Henry. I know you didn't _want_ anybody to get hurt, and I know that you don't _want_ his death. But a wound in the abdominal area is very serious. There are many organs and arteries that may be damaged; if he doesn't get medical attention soon, his chances of bleeding out are _really_ high. Do you want to be the responsible for his death? I know you’re _not_ a killer, but Mike and you will spend the rest of your life in jail if you let him die. You will be charged with murder, Henry. _Murder_.”

“I won't let anybody in, Officer. I don't trust the police. I know how these things work; you'll send a cop disguised as a paramedic. No thanks. Bring the van and _then_ I'll let him free so that you can take him to the hospital.”

“He may not have that long.”

“Then you should hurry. I want the van now! If Queen dies, it will be only _your_ fault.”

Lance let out a sigh when he realized that Henry had hung up.

“And what about the ten minutes? Was it a bluff?” Diggle asked, worried.

“I don't know,” Lance answered. “But we need to bring the van, Smith. If that's what he needs in order to release Queen, we must give it to him. Put a tracker on it, puncture the wheels, do whatever you want, but bring the goddamn van right now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	12. Sara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! My beta and I did our best to have this chapter ready to post asap. If you enjoy it even half as much as I enjoyed writing it, I'll be very pleased. I hope you like the end.
> 
> Additionally, I want to thank you for all the comments and new bookmarks and kudos. You are awesome! And once again thanks also to my beta; I don’t know what I would do without you, **luvtheheaven**!
> 
> A brief note: In this chapter, you may be surprised by Henry's behavior, but don't forget that he's a good person who has found himself in a bad situation, and that he only wants to help his brother and sister-in-law.
> 
> Another thing… I'm really happy today! I've been writing the same chapter for several weeks. I don't know why, but it seems like I was stuck. But I just finished writing the Spanish version of chapter 19 and I can't be happier. It may be a silly thing, but I wanted to share the good news with all of you.
> 
> That said, enjoy the reading!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 12. Sara**

Henry hung up and checked the time. If the safe wasn't open yet, it would be soon.

“Felicity, come with me,” Henry ordered.

“What? No! I _won't_ leave him.”

“I need you down there with me.”

“No, you don't! Once the decoding's done, the safe's door will open. You don't need me for anything, but Oliver does. I'm not going anywhere.”

“Okay,” he growled. Pointing at the cashier who had previously put the money in bags, he added, “You, come with me. Keep an eye on them, Mike, but this time for real. We don't want a repeat of what happened before, right?”

Mike nodded, as the cashier got up and followed Henry down the stairs, each of them carrying an empty bag.

When they reached the safe, they saw that it was still closed, but judging by the time it wouldn't take much longer.

The cashier was shaking in fear. Being alone with one of the robbers terrified her.

“Don't worry; I don't want to hurt you. I _won't_ hurt you.”

She nodded slowly, although her fear hadn't diminished. After all, a man was bleeding to death upstairs and he had denied him aid.

Henry took Felicity's tablet and stared at the screen, as if that could make the time go by faster.

At some point the tablet beeped, and the safe's door was unlocked. To Henry and the cashier it seemed like a scene from an action movie. Henry opened the door and couldn't suppress a smile. There was more money than they needed.

“Come on; help me get it into the bags.”

The cashier followed Henry into the chamber. It was bigger than they had imagined, and the wads of bills were settled in several shelves. They would need some time to fill the bags.

“My bag is full,” the cashier muttered after a while, afraid to raise her voice.

Henry got some more wads into his bag before turning and saying, “Mine too. Let's go up.”

Before going up, Henry grabbed the tablet. It was no longer necessary to keep down there, and he supposed that Felicity would be grateful to have it back. _Well…_ he thought, _maybe not now given the situation, but when the robbery is over._

Once upstairs, they left the bags on the floor. Henry ordered the cashier to join the rest of hostages in front of the windows.

“Do we have enough money?” Mike asked with hope.

“Yeah. As soon as the police bring the van we can go, so we'll wait until the officer calls again.”

Mike smiled. The robbery hadn’t gone as planned, but they already had the money and they were about to leave the bank.

Henry approached Felicity and left the tablet beside her, not realizing that it’d mean the police would have audio again.

He looked at the  scene. Oliver was very pale, much too pale to mean anything good. Henry could also see that his breaths were quick and shallow, and his face was contorted with pain. Despite Felicity's attempts, Oliver kept bleeding, creating a puddle on the floor. It was a daunting picture which probably would haunt him at night for a long time.

Trying to shake that image out of his head, he looked at the blonde. She was scared; Henry could see it in the way she clenched her jaw and the tears that she was trying to not let fall.

“What do you want?” she snapped at him.

That surprised Henry. He didn't think she would have noticed that he was beside her.

“I brought you back your tablet.”

She didn't answer. She didn't even look away from Oliver for a second.

“He'll go to the hospital soon.”

Felicity flinched at hearing that. Maybe ‘soon’ would be too late. Oliver was getting worse by the minute.

“Do you have the money you need?” Felicity asked harshly.

“Yeah. As soon as they bring the van, all this will be over.”

“Why don't you let him out now? You've already released several hostages. Why not him?” she asked in a tone that bordered on begging.

“Because he's a Queen. I'm making sure we have an escape route. Nothing more.”

“And how will you do it? The building is surrounded by police. Even if they let you to get to the van, they won't—”

“We'll find a way. I'll do whatever it takes to bring back my sister-in-law.”

“Talk to the police. Tell them what's going on! They can help you!”

“No! They were very clear. If they find out that we're working with the police they'll _kill her_. I can't take that chance.”

“But you have no other option.”

“Felicity,” Oliver said her name so low that she barely heard him.

“Oliver! I'm here, I'm with you.”

“I'm tired.”

“I know, Oliver, I know... But you just have to hold on a little longer. In a few minutes we'll be free. Will you do that for me?” she asked, and then she realized that Oliver's gaze was unfocused. “Oliver, look at me. Don't close your eyes.”

Oliver was struggling with all his might to keep his eyes open, but he wasn't very successful. His vision was becoming more and more blurred. He closed his eyes to try to focus, but when he opened them again the image he found shocked him.

“Sara?”

Felicity looked at him, confused.

“Is that you, Sara? You can't be here...”

“Oliver? Oliver, listen to me. I'm not Sara; I'm _Felicity_. Do you hear me? Oliver, please hear my voice. Come back to me.”

“But I saw you die... Am I dead too?”

“No, you're not!” Felicity yelled at him. The tears that she had been holding back now ran freely down her cheeks.

“I'm sorry, Sara. I tried to save you, but I failed... I'm so sorry, Sara, so sorry...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	13. Survivor's Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm here again to post a new chapter. This one is from Smith's POV. I haven't done it before, and I never intended to write anything about his thoughts or how he's experiencing this situation; but I couldn’t help it. This chapter just wrote itself.  
> Another note: the reactions from Diggle and Lance when they heard Oliver apologizing to Sara are barely mentioned, but you'll see more of their thoughts on the matter in later chapters.  
> Okay, that said, I want to thank all of you for your support once again. Thanks for the comments, the kudos and the bookmarks.  
> And if you didn’t know yet, I have always had the amazing and invaluable help of my beta, **luvtheheaven**. I don't know what I'd do without her.  
>  Here you have the new chapter. Enjoy it!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 13. Survivor's Guilt**

Smith walked away from the base of operations once again to make some calls. He knew that the van was on its way, but it needed to arrive as soon as possible. It was true that the Queen family no longer had the same power as before Moira had confessed to her participation in the earthquake that had destroyed the Glades, and in fact, the city as a whole would not mind if Oliver died. Moreover, there were people who’d asked for revenge and who actively _wanted_ his death so that Moira would suffer the same despair as the families of those who had died that night. But Oliver Queen was innocent, despite having been a troublemaker for years. His scrapes with the law were well known. But then he had been stranded on a supposedly deserted island for five years. Smith knew that that wasn't true. His military training had taught him to recognize potential dangers, threats and enemies. And since his return from the island, even from a distance Smith could tell that Oliver Queen was a warrior. Smith knew that, even though Oliver tried to hide it behind a fake smile.

Smith had followed his public appearances since he’d come back from the island. That man, that survivor had aroused his curiosity so Smith had made an effort to get all the information about Oliver as he could. Smith even had asked a friend who owed him a favor to hack the hospital's servers and get him a copy of Oliver's medical records. That was how he actually already knew about his scars, burns and broken bones; and although there wasn't any mention of his mental health, Smith was sure that Oliver had to be suffering from PTSD. Smith had seen through his carefree millionaire façade to see that he was really a tormented soul, which was understandable after all that he had suffered in the past few years of his life.

Oliver was a man who had survived five years of hell, and yet, when he was supposed to be safe back in his hometown, his life was hanging by a thread.

So far, Smith had been reluctant to give the robbers what they wanted, but he now realized he no longer had a choice if he wanted to save Oliver’s life.

He took out his phone, looked up the number he needed and waited until he was answered.

“We're on our way.”

“How long?”

“Four and a half minutes.”

“It must be less. A man's life depends on it.”

“We're doing our best.”

“It's not enough!” Smith shouted before hanging up.

He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. He hadn’t gotten bad news, but it wasn’t good news either. The van was about to arrive, but he knew Oliver's state was worsening quickly. However, that knowledge still didn't prepare him for what he found when he came back to base.

Diggle was gripping the table tightly as if he needed it to not fall; his eyes staring at the screen. Lance was leaning against the wall, white as a sheet and his eyes filled with sorrow. It was then Smith heard the voices coming from the speakers.

“Oliver, please hear my voice. Come back to me.”

“But I saw you die... Am I dead too?”

“No, you're not!”

“I'm sorry, Sara. I tried to save you, but I failed... I'm so sorry, Sara, so sorry...”

“It's okay, Oliver. Don't worry, it's okay.”

“I tried, I promise. I've failed so many of you... It's me who should have died... Not you, or—”

Smith saw Diggle turning off the speakers so they wouldn't hear the rest of the sentence. He didn't object. Felicity had given them audio so that they could hear the plan and confession of the robbers. Things that could be helpful to resolve the robbery.

But what they were now hearing were the ravings of a man who was closer to death than to life. They had no right to hear what could be his last words. The words were not addressed to them; they weren’t even addressed to the woman he was with. He was apologizing to a dead woman.

Smith knew who that Sara was, and he understood perfectly the reactions of the other two men there. Lance was remembering the hellish days when he’d lost his little girl, and Diggle was aware that his friend (because it was clear that he wasn't only his driver and bodyguard) was worse than they had thought.

The truth was that the panic in Felicity's voice and the pain and guilt in Oliver's voice affected Smith too. He could perfectly recognize the signs of survivor's guilt; he was very familiar with it. He himself had suffered it for a long time for his own reasons.

“How much longer?” Diggle asked, still staring at the screen.

Smith checked his watch. It had only been thirty seconds since the phone call.

“Four minutes.”

He saw that Diggle nodded in silence, his jaw clenched tight, probably in an attempt to keep calm.

Then Smith walked up to Lance. So far, Lance had done a great job; he had been strong when he’d had to be and had obliged Henry's demands when it had been needed. Smith knew that it was necessary for Lance to continue doing such good work negotiating with the robbers.

“Officer,” Smith addressed him. When he got no answer he called out to him more loudly. “Officer Lance!” It worked, and Smith had Lance's attention.

“You have to call Henry again. The van will be here in four minutes.”

Lance swallowed hard, trying to regain his composure before answering to Smith.

“Okay.”

“And one more thing... Try to convince the robbers to let the paramedics in sooner.”

Lance nodded. Everyone there knew why Smith had added that. It was possible that Oliver would not have so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	14. Giving Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I want to thank you for the comments and new bookmarks and kudos. And I also want to thank my beta **luvtheheaven** once again, because I never will be able to thank her enough her for awesome help.
> 
> You may disagree with me, but this is one of my favorite chapters... so far. There will be others in the future, of course. But this chapter has something special, in my opinion. I think it's one of the most intense and angst-filled so far. Because of that, I especially hope you like this one.
> 
> Enjoy reading.  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 14. Giving Up**

“I'm sorry, Sara. I tried to save you, but I failed... I'm so sorry, Sara, so sorry...”

“It's okay, Oliver. Don't worry, it's okay.”

“I tried, I promise. I've failed so many of you... It's me who should have died... Not you, or my father, Yao Fei, Shado, Tommy...” his voice was shaky, and Felicity could see the great effort he was doing to speak. “I'm tired of fighting, of the pain, of the guilt...”

“Oliver...” Felicity wanted to say something to comfort him, but the lump in her throat didn't let her. It hurt her to see Oliver so broken and desolate.

“I can't keep fighting; I _don't_ want to keep fighting.”

Felicity was horrified. Oliver was giving up. He wasn't even making the slightest effort to keep his eyes open. He had accepted his death. But she wouldn't allow it. She had tried as Felicity, and she hadn't been able to reach him, so she made a decision. She would pretend to be Sara if that was what she had to do, so she called him by the name she had always refused to use.

“ _Ollie_.” A chill ran down her spine. “Listen carefully. None of those deaths are your fault, do you understand? You didn't kill me; it was an accident, Ollie.”

Felicity didn't know that Diggle had turned off the speakers, and the thought that Lance was listening to her posing as his dead daughter made her sick.

“But—”

“No buts, Ollie! You're _not_ guilty.”

“But I'm alive, and I don't want to be alive.”

“Don't say that!”

“Being alive means that people I love will keep dying...”

He stopped and it seemed that he was struggling to find the right words while at the same time he needed to catch his breath.

“I can't cope with more deaths, Sara. Not any more...”

“And have you ever wondered what would happen if you die? Or what would happen to the people who love you? Your sister needs you more than ever. She already lost you once; you can't make her go through that hell again. And what about your friends? What about John? You promised him that you'll help him with Lawton... You can't fail him now.”

“Why are you telling me all this, Sara?”

“Because you need to remember that you're not alone, that you have people who care about you and who love you; and that there are people who still need you in their lives.”

“You sound like Felicity.”

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him say her name in that way that only he did. Her name always sounded different and special when it came from him.

Oliver's eyes then snapped open, and Felicity could see the rawest panic in them. He was looking around desperately, and even started to try to get up.

“Felicity!” he called out, not recognizing her in front of him. Speaking to ‘Sara’ again, he explained, “She… she's downstairs, I have...” Oliver's voice trailed off when his eyes finally met hers. Felicity was whispering words of comfort, telling him that she was fine, that she was with him, that everything was fine; although it seemed that he wasn't hearing anything she was saying.

But as the seconds passed with their eyes fixed on the other, the fear began to disappear from Oliver's eyes, and slowly she could begin to see his relief.

Felicity continued whispering words of comfort, not wanting to stop looking at him even for a moment, until the sound of the phone ringing caught her attention.

“Henry?” she heard over the speakerphone.  “It’s Lance. The van will be here in four minutes.” Felicity felt some of her concerns dissolving. The nightmare was about to end.

“Good. I don't want anyone around when we go out. Just...” Felicity saw Henry look at Oliver, and she didn't miss the flash of guilt that crossed his face. “Just the paramedics.”

“How is Mr. Queen?”

“Not very good, but he'll hold on until the armored truck arrives.”

“Let them in now.”

“No. They'll come in after we've left with the van.”

Felicity couldn't stand it anymore and with a broken voice she shouted, “Henry, please! Let them come in now!” But Henry ignored her.

Henry hung up and went to talk to Mike. Felicity figured it was to finalize the details of their escape. She didn't care; she just wanted it to end so that Oliver could get the medical help he so badly needed. She pushed her face into her own shoulder to try to control the sobs that were rising in her throat. Maybe that's why she didn't realize that Oliver had moved his hand until she felt it above hers. He was so cold... She looked back at Oliver and saw that he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Felicity,” he whispered, his voice full of pain.

“Oliv—” her voice broke and became a sob. She knew that at these moments that he needed her to stay calm more than ever, but she was so scared that she couldn’t help crying.

Oliver moved his hand again to wipe the tears from her cheeks, leaving a trail of blood wherever he touched her.

“Don't cry... I need you to be strong, Felicity,” he asked, his eyes also watering. She didn't know if it was from pain or fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	15. Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I want to thank you for the comments and new bookmarks and kudos. It amazes me that those numbers are still growing. And of course, I want to again thank my beta, **luvtheheaven ******, who is as amazing as she always has been.  
>  Brief note (or maybe not so brief, =P): In this chapter you'll see Diggle's thoughts about what's going on and some interaction between him and Lance. I think this chapter is very different from you've seen so far (in this fic, of course). You'd probably have preferred another Olicity chapter. But this is the right moment to post this. Believe me. You will want to read chapters 16 and 17 without this kind of interruption in between.  
> But, meanwhile, enjoy this!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 15. Arrow**

Diggle had turned off the speakers, but he didn't lose any of Oliver's words. He had learned how to read lips a long time ago, and he didn't stop looking at the screen for a second.

When Oliver asked Felicity not to cry, to be strong, Diggle felt his heart sink. Those words felt like a last goodbye.

Diggle had seen Oliver being hurt a lot of times, some of them really badly, but Oliver was well aware of his own limits and Diggle never had seen him so predisposed to death. That's what scared him most. Oliver was sure he was going to die and Diggle couldn't do anything about it, he was forced to stay out there, behind the screens.

After all that Oliver had survived on the island, and after all of his brave risk-taking for the greater good he'd been doing more recently in his role as The Arrow, it seemed ironic and cruel that he might die as a hostage in a bank, rather than during a dangerous mission like the hero he really was.

No one would ever know about what he'd done for the city, or about all the times he'd risked his life for other people's safety. Diggle couldn't believe what was happening. It was a nightmare. A cruel and painful nightmare. When Diggle saw Oliver's tears, he couldn't take it anymore.

“I'm gonna be back in a minute,” Diggle muttered before leaving the base.

He leaned against the nearest wall and took a couple of deep breaths.

Then his phone rang. It was Lance, wanting to talk to The Arrow. Diggle didn't answer. At that moment, he just couldn't. Lance tried a couple more times, but Diggle ignored all of them, not knowing that the other man was about thirty feet away from there, looking at him. Diggle knew that he would have to talk to Lance at some point, but for the moment, the man would have to wait.

Dig heard footsteps approaching and when he looked up, he saw that it was Lance.

“Are you okay?” the officer asked, gently.

“Yeah; I just needed some air.”

“I understand... It's hard to be here, helpless, while someone you care about is in danger. And although I know you’ve gone through this kind of thing many times before, it never becomes easier.”

Diggle was confused. He didn't know what it was that Lance was trying to tell him.

“How many times have you been through something like this?” Lance asked. “When he supposedly got in a motorcycle accident around Christmas? The night of the earthquake? The day his mother shot him? That time had to be hard... There was a lot of blood in her office.”

“I don't know what you're talking about, Officer Lance.”

“Come on, Mr. Diggle. You know exactly what I mean.”

“No, I don’t.”

“There are too many coincidences… Oliver came back after five years on an island, and the day after his return The Hood appeared, who, by the way, has a weird attachment to my daughter. He has Miss Smoak doing the dirty work behind computers while Oliver has been seen with her more and more often, and not just at work.”

Diggle felt himself growing paler by the moment, but Lance wouldn't let him make any excuse.

“While Oliver was admitted to the hospital and during his recovery, no one saw The Hood, and the same happened during those five months after the earthquake. Did you really think that I wasn't going to connect the dots?”

Diggle wanted to deny everything, he wanted to tell Lance how wrong he was, but Diggle knew that all of the possible excuses going through his mind wouldn’t be believed. Lance hadn’t finished yet, so he continued speaking. “I know I've been chasing after him and trying to arrest him for a long time. I didn't succeed, and I don't agree with his methods, but I’ll admit that Starling's crime rate drops dramatically whenever The Hood is working. And although in the future I'll deny having said this, Starling City needs him.” Lance let out a deep sigh. “Miss Smoak once told me that he's a hero who is willing to sacrifice an awful lot to help the people of this city. And you know what? I've been starting to understand what she meant.”

Diggle looked at him without blinking, assessing the situation. There was no way he could change Lance's mind. He knew the truth.

“Arrow,” Diggle finally said in reply.

“What?”

“He doesn't want to be called The Hood anymore; he wants to be called The Arrow.”

He saw Lance nodding, surprise written all over his face.

“You thought I was going to deny everything you said, didn't you?”

“Yeah, I suppose I did.”

“Are you going to arrest him? If... if he makes it, I mean,” Dig asked, unable to hide the fear and the guilt he felt for having revealed Oliver's secret.

“As I said, the city needs The Ho— The Arrow.”

Diggle nodded and couldn't help smiling a little, something he hadn’t done since before Oliver had entered the bank.

“I think it is time to head back over there,” Lance said, softly. “The van is about to arrive and we need to be completely ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked the way that the conversation between Diggle and Lance happened. I really would like to know your opinions, so I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews. Thanks!!!


	16. Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you doing? Are you enjoying the summer? Or if you happen to be in the southern hemisphere, the winter? ;)  
> As always, I want to thank you for the new bookmarks and kudos. The truth is that I was really afraid of what you would think of the previous chapter, but your reviews had been so kind and wonderful that I can only say thank you very much to all of you!!!  
> And I also want to thank my beta **luvtheheaven** , who had to work really hard to fix this chapter. Sometimes I wonder if I should post a chapter unbetaed to show you how amazing her work is. It probably won't happen. Ever. But I can't stop this thought from crossing my mind from time to time.  
> Brief note: Chapter 14 ended with Oliver saying, “Don't cry... I need you to be strong, Felicity.” Well, in this one you'll see what went through Oliver's mind between those two sentences. I think you'll like it... Especially those of you who want some more Olicity.  
> Enjoy reading!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 16. Regrets**

“Henry, please! Let them come in now!”

Oliver heard Felicity's cry, and then he saw that she pushed her face into her own shoulder. He knew that Felicity was making great efforts to hold herself together for him, but he was afraid that she had almost gotten to her breaking point.

Although it was extremely difficult, Oliver was struggling to keep his eyes open. Slowly, he moved one of his cold hands over hers. He didn't know if it was the contact with Felicity's skin or just him feeling the blood that was seeping through the fabric layers, but he felt a welcome warmth at that moment. When Felicity felt his hand, she stared at him again.

“Felicity,” he whispered, feeling weak and unable to hide the pain in his voice.

“Oliv—” Her voice broke and became a sob. He could see how scared she was.

Oliver raised his hand slowly, the blood loss making it almost a Herculean task. He reached her cheek, where several tears streamed free. He brushed them away gently with his thumb, leaving a trail of blood where he touched her. She leaned into his touch and let out a shaky breath.

“Don't cry,”he whispered, his voice full of pain.

Oliver wasn't afraid to die. He had assumed long ago that he would die young, given the life he’d always led. He had faced death too many times to fear it.

He had always heard that when a person was about to die, they saw images of their life, remembered all of their loved ones and made promises such as ‘if I survive, I will...’ But he didn't. Never. It might have been because every time he had been about to die, he hadn't had even a second to think or to regret anything.

On the island he’d had nothing to lose. His family had thought he was dead, and the friends he’d made on Lian Yu had known just as well as he did that living there meant getting up every day wondering if they would see another dawn.

When he came back to Starling City, the situation barely changed. He lived under the same roof as his family, but his relationship with them was broken. He wasn't the same. They weren’t either. For a while they tried to pretend that everything was the same, that nothing had changed, but it didn't work.

Oliver knew that losing him again would be a blow to them, but if they had already figured out how to live through that situation once, they could handle doing it again- or at least that was what he wanted to believe. He felt the same about Laurel...

Diggle had lost his brother, and being in the war he had probably also lost some friends... Oliver was sure that Dig would be capable of handling his death too... But, what about Felicity? _What will happen to Felicity if I die in her arms? Will this be her breaking point? Will she be able to go on with her life?_ _Yes, of course. She's strong... Stronger than I ever thought, actually._ She had proved it several times already.

She had seen him at his worst, and she had seen him killing without any remorse. Before all of that, she had overlooked his lies, fully knowing that the he had been hiding the true reasons that he’d wanted her amazing skills. She had given him space when he needed it. Whenever he’d try to push her away, she would always allow him to believe that she was doing what he’d asked. He would later realize that she’d never stopped watching over him, and that she never would.

She had risked her life several times to help him, and she had jumped out of a plane to get him back home even though she was afraid of heights. She had joined his crusade, almost by obligation since Oliver had placed his bleeding-out-self into her car and asked for her help. And then, she’d stayed with him even after finding Walter, despite having previously said that she would quit once that time came.

Oliver couldn't deny that Felicity had been a great help on their missions, but the truth was that Felicity was much more than that. She was the cornerstone of the team, its heart, the one who hadn't let him fall into the darkness when it had begun to get the best of him. She had been his salvation in the past and would be the light in his future. _Future? What future? You're going to die,_ he scolded himself mentally.

He had been through a lot in recent years, and yet he had never been as sure that he would die as he was right now. Not when the Gambit was sinking, or when he was tortured for the first time in his life. Not even when his mother shot him. But this time it was much more serious. He was sure he was about to lose consciousness, and that he would not wake up again. He also knew that he was so close to death that hallucinations would likely start soon. _Maybe I already_ have _been hallucinating. That would explain why I saw Sara._ _After all, she is dead._

Sara had told him that the deaths he felt guilty about weren't his fault at all. She had told him that he should think about what would happen to Thea and Diggle if he died. But she hadn't even mentioned Felicity. And suddenly, he realized why. It hadn't been Sara. It had been Felicity the whole time. She had posed as Sara in order to bring him back again. Felicity always gave everything for him, but this time she had gone even beyond what he’d ever expect.

He wished he could just be strong and fight because she deserved it. But Oliver knew he was very badly injured. He had heard the conversation between Lance and Henry, and he had heard the plea and despair in Felicity's voice. He wouldn't make it, and Felicity wouldn't become the light in his future. In these moments before his death, Oliver didn't see flashes of his loved ones, nor did he make promises about what he would do when the robbery would be over, because he was sure that he wouldn't survive.

He didn't regret his lifestyle before the island, nor did he regret his actions on Lian Yu and the lies he’d been telling his family since his return. He only regretted one thing: the fact that he was dying in this instant and Felicity never would know how important she was in his life, or how much he needed her. _She'll never know how much I love her._ At that moment, when he was about to die, Oliver finally accepted his feelings for her. He loved her, he wanted a future with her... He wanted her to be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw before falling asleep. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and whisper in her ear how much he loved her. He wanted to kiss her lips like there was no tomorrow.

The harsh reality was that there wasn't. At least not for him. He was going to die and she would never know how much he loved her.

 “I need you to be strong, Felicity,”he asked, feeling his own eyes watering in a mixture of sorrow and guilt for having denied his feelings for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	17. You Will Tell Me That You Love Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank you once again for your support and encouragement you are showing me through your comments and new kudos. Thanks also to my beta, **luvtheheaven ******, for her priceless help.  
>  Unbelievable but true. After 17 chapters we have finally gotten to the starting point. So the end of this chapter will be familiar to those of you that have a good memory.   
> I hope you like this chapter.  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 17. You Will Tell Me That You Love Me**

“Don't cry... I need you to be strong, Felicity,” Oliver asked, his eyes watering. She didn't know if it was from pain or fear.

He was lying on the floor bleeding out and yet he still had enough strength to care for her, wiping her tears away with his bloodied hand.

Then she realized what he had said: ‘I need you to be strong.’ Her eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe it was happening again.

“You can't give up, Oliver. You just can't. The paramedics will be here _really_ soon.”

“Felicity,” he whispered before releasing a defeated sigh, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

She knew that although he had only said her name, what he actually meant was, ‘It won't be soon enough.’ She could see that this was as hard for him as was for her, or actually, probably harder – after all, she wasn't in excruciating physical pain.

“Can… Can I ask you a favor?” he asked, shakily.

“Sure.”

“My mom... Tell her—”

“ _No_. Whatever you want to tell her, you'll tell _yourself_.” She couldn't, wouldn't accept that Oliver was telling her his last wishes.

“Felicity, I need to know that... that you'll do this for me. _Please_.” Felicity couldn't refuse, not when she saw the pleading in his eyes. She nodded and he continued.

“Tell her that I don't blame her... and that I love her. Tell her she has to fight. Thea needs her out of jail.” He stopped to catch his breath. “Thea's going to need her more than ever. Take care of my sister for me, please,” Oliver begged as a tear escaped his eyes.

“I _promise_. I _will_ take care of her, and I _will_ do everything in my power to help your mother.”

“Thank you,” he said with a sad, but grateful smile.

Felicity could see the effort he had exerted just to say those few sentences. From the corner of her eye she also saw that Henry and Mike were preparing for their escape. _The van must be here already. That means that the paramedics are going to come in at any time. Oliver, please, hold on just a little longer._ As soon as she saw that Oliver wanted to say something else, she focused only and exclusively on him, forgetting everyone and everything around them.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, gasping like a fish out of water.

“I need... You... I have to tell you—” A strong fit of coughing interrupted him.

“Shhh... Don't talk. It's not good for you.”

“I need to tell you something, _Felicity_.”

She could tell by the way he had said her name that it was really important for him to say whatever it was. Both of them closed their eyes and let out a sigh, as if they knew that this would be one of the most difficult and intense moments they would ever share.

When she opened her eyes, Oliver was already looking at her.

“When I asked you to join me... I swore I would protect you. And I failed.”

“That's not true Oliver!” she protested.

“Let me finish. Please.”

She nodded, not trusting her own voice.

“I failed. You've been in danger more times than I can count... And I'm sorry for that.”

“Oliver, no—”

“But,” he continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. “I'm not sorry for bringing you into my life. You... You made me smile for the first time after my… return. You've filled my days with... light and peace.”

Tears escaped her eyes, streamed down her cheeks and fell on Oliver's bloodied shirt while he struggled to keep talking. He was looking more and more pale, his voice was growing weaker, and the pauses between sentences were getting longer.

“You're the most beautiful, kind… intelligent, selfless, courageous and amazing woman I… I have ever met. Felicity, you're remarkable, and… And I’m so thankful for the day I met you.”

Felicity felt her heart breaking into pieces with each word.

“I know… this isn't the right time; I know I should have… said this before but… but I wasn't ready. I was afraid. But my time… is almost over, and I need you to know… I lo—”

“No! Don't you dare say it Oliver! Not here. And not now,” she said, emphasizing each word.

“Felicity...” Oliver whispered, getting weaker by the minute.

“ _No_. When this is over and you're okay, you're going to ask me out. You're going to take me to a movie or for a walk in the park, then, we're going to go to dinner, and while we’re waiting for dessert, if your feelings haven't changed, _then_ , and _only_ _then_ you will tell me that you love me. Did you hear me, Oliver? You'll get through this. We'll get through this together.”

Felicity had been kneeling for so long that her legs were numb. The floor was cold under her knees. Her hands were stained with blood, with  _his_  blood. But she didn’t care about her hands, because only one thing mattered to her right now: the man who was lying on the floor next to her, fighting for his life.

"Hold on Oliver. You  _can't_  give up,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Do you hear me? Because you can't _die_. You  _can't_  do this to me!  _Fight_  Oliver, fight like you always do. _Please_ ," she begged desperately.

“Felicity...” he exhaled as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Oliver was dying, and she couldn't do anything about it. She was so focused on him that she didn't even notice that the phone had rung and that Henry was talking with Smith. She didn't hear any of what they said, and she didn’t realize that their time being held hostage was finally about to come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	18. The Present Is Always Tied To The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I want to thank you for the comments and new bookmarks, subscriptions and kudos. I also want to thank my beta **luvtheheaven** , for her priceless help and support.
> 
> This chapter is a little different. Until now, a change of perspective meant a new chapter, but this time, the chapter starts with Lance’s, but goes on to Henry and Mike’s. This is for two reasons: One, you can have a longer chapter; and the second reason is that in doing this, the next chapter will again be about Oliver. And considering what happens in this chapter, I think it's pretty clear what the next one will be about.
> 
> Also, really quickly before letting you read the chapter, I want to tell you that I just created a Facebook account (Oiaso FicWriter), principally for things related to my fanfiction (announcements of updates, sharing of the “book cover” images, even interaction with the readers if you want...). So if you want to keep in the loop or want to be able to easily get in touch with me, you can send me a friend request now. ;-) And, yes, I'm aware that people usually use tumblr or twitter for things like this, but I prefer FB.
> 
> Enjoy reading! And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 18. The Present Is Always Tied To The Past**

As they walked in silence toward the base of operations, Lance couldn't help but feel guilty. He knew he had taken advantage of the situation to get a confession out of Diggle, but it had been a ‘now or never’, the only chance he’d ever get.

He saw the police cars were leaving the area, which must have been Henry’s final demand that Smith had clearly granted. There was no other reason they’d drive away.

When they reached his side, Lance looked at Smith and nodded slightly in thanks.  Then Smith handed the phone to Lance.

“It's time to call them one last time.”

Lance nodded and dialed. Henry answered before the second ring.

“Is the van finally here?”

“It's coming. All the police cars are gone, as you requested.”

“Good. I see that you can be very cooperative when you want to be.”

“Only when we want to be? How can you say that?!” Lance answered in disbelief. He was also a little angry. “We've done everything you've asked, Henry.”

“Yeah... Well...”

“Let the paramedics enter into the bank.”

“Not until we leave.”

“We've given you everything you've asked, and the van is about to be here. Besides, I know you don't want a death on your conscience.”

“What assures me that we're not going to be shot when they come inside?”

“The remaining hostages, Henry. We don't want Mr. Queen’s death, and we also don't want to endanger anyone else's life.”

“No. I don't trust the police. Just bring the van.”

After that, Henry hung up.

Lance let out a long sigh. Henry was testing his patience and negotiation skills.

He put the phone down and turned his gaze to the screen once again. Oliver was alarmingly pale, and Lance couldn't help but wonder if he would get out of this alive. A shiver ran down his spine.

_He is The Arrow..._

Lance was surprised. There was a time when he’d been sure it was him, and although Oliver had managed to remove all the evidence that pointed to him as the vigilante, Lance never had completely abandoned the idea that Oliver was the man under the hood.

He’d always had his suspicions; there had been too many coincidences, too many signs... When earlier today Lance had phoned The Arrow, but the hooded man had said he was ‘too busy’ to help even when he was informed that Felicity was among the hostages, Lance’s detective instinct had helped him put the pieces together, and knowing that Oliver was another one of the hostages, Lance had felt almost sure that it had to be him.

Later, when he tried to talk to The Arrow again, and he saw that Diggle’s phone rang at the same time, and that it stopped whenever Lance cut off the call, Lance no longer had any doubts. That had been the final proof he’d needed, and he ended up not even needing to tell Diggle about how he’d seen that in order to get him to admit the truth about Oliver.

Regardless, the truth was that the revelation shocked Lance. It was one thing to just suspect who The Arrow was, and quite another to actually know it. And now that he did, Lance had mixed feelings. When Oliver and The Arrow were two different people it was much easier, but now that he knew that they were the same...

_Before the island, Oliver was an idiot - a kid who was spoiled, selfish, conceited, irresponsible...._ and those were just some of the adjectives that came to Lance's mind. He had seen the twists of his relationship with his daughter Laurel. Quentin had never approved of him being her boyfriend, but he couldn't do anything about it. Laurel’s stubbornness was probably inherited genetically, since he knew he had been just as stubborn in his youth, and she was in love with Oliver. Lance had tried to warn her, to take off her blindfold and make her see that Oliver didn't have the same feelings toward her. But she’d always defended him.

Lance hadn't had another option except to accept their relationship and watch their romance play out. He didn't like Oliver, but Laurel had decided to share her life with him. But then, Oliver had taken his _other_ daughter on that boat with him, thinking that no one would ever find out. And no one would have if it weren't for that storm; if the ship hadn’t sunk. There had been no survivors, or at least that's what they had been told.

Before the Gambit capsized, Lance had thought that it was impossible to hate someone who had died; but that day he’d discovered that he’d been wrong. _I hated Oliver with all my heart. He killed one of my daughters, and had shattered the other's heart._ Five years later, Oliver came back from the dead, and Lance hated him more than ever. Oliver had somehow survived despite being responsible for his Sara's death.

Lance would never forget the day he’d interrogated Oliver using the polygraph; when he’d asked Oliver if he had killed anyone and Oliver had answered yes. At that point, he’d felt quite sure that Oliver was the vigilante, so Lance had taken for granted that he was a cold-blooded murderer. Lance hadn’t been surprised by his response. What he hadn’t expected was what he said next: "When I asked your daughter Sara to come on my father’s yacht with me." Him saying that back then had meant that Oliver felt guilty for what happened, but until this bank robbery happened, and Lance heard him begging for forgiveness from his dead daughter, Lance hadn’t really realized how deep his feelings of guilt were.

And when the vigilante had first appeared, Lance hadn’t known any of that. He’d only known that he hated Oliver with his entire soul and that the Hood was a cold-blooded murderer who took justice into his own hands without caring about how many bodies he left behind. And then all of the evidence had pointed to Oliver being this vigilante. So even though he’d had a lot of reasons to detest the Hood, the thought that he could actually be Oliver had given Lance an _additional_ reason to hate the vigilante.

Over time, and after one particular conversation with Felicity Smoak, he’d begun to wonder if perhaps the Hood wasn’t pure evil. The truth was that he’d come to Laurel's aid more times than Lance could count, and without him, the night of the earthquake would have been worse than it was.Nobody saw the vigilante again for five months. He just disappeared and the people of Starling City had assumed that he’d died during the earthquake. _And when he returned to Starling City... He had changed. The first night I saw him after his return, he told me he was trying to be different._ And Lance knew it was true. He still was circumventing the law to bring about justice on his own, but he was no longer murdering people. Lance was beginning to accept that he was doing good for the city. Starling City's residents felt safer, the crime rate had gone down, and there were more criminals in prison than ever.

Lance didn't know what to feel now. There had been a time when he’d resigned himself to accept Oliver as Laurel's boyfriend, but after the ship went down, he’d hated him with all his soul. With the Hood, however, it had been just the opposite. When he’d appeared in Starling for the first time, Lance had been obsessed with imprisoning him, but after his return from his self-imposed exile, the detective had accepted his presence in the city.

And now that he knew that Oliver and The Arrow were the same person... He now realized that the man who returned after spending five years stranded on an island had little in common with the person who’d gotten on the ship. His being The Arrow was the proof. _Maybe I should give Oliver a second chance._ But that didn't mean he had forgotten everything that Oliver had done to his family. There were things Lance needed to know, things he had never dared ask. Lance was now ready to face Oliver and demand answers, although he knew that it would have to wait. After all, they were in the middle of a robbery and Oliver was fighting for his life. But fortunately, it seemed that the robbery was about to end. At least the van was almost there.

Henry was also aware of that fact, so when he hung up the phone after speaking with Lance, Henry addressed the hostages.

“Okay; the van is coming, so you'll be free soon. But when I say so, you're going to surround me and Mike, forming a circle around us. And then we’ll all get out of here together. Once Mike and I are in the van, you can go.”

“And I don't want any of you trying to act like a hero or making a hasty move that will cause the police to shoot us. Got it?” Mike added, harshly.

“What Mike meant is that we don't want the police to get nervous and shoot anyone by mistake. Right, Mike?” Henry said in a tone that made it clear that his brother's comment had bothered him.

Henry knew that the hostages were scared and eager to end this nightmare. He didn't want them to suffer more. _I already feel pretty bad about what happened with Queen without having anything more to feel guilty about._

Some of the hostages nodded silently while others murmured their agreement. Henry could see how nervous Mike was. Henry was as nervous as him, but he also knew that he had to stay composed for his brother's sake. _I need him to see me as calm so that he'll accept what I say without questioning it_.

They had planned to escape together in the car they had outside the bank, but that was no longer a viable option. Not for the two of them. But Henry knew what he was going to do, what he _had_ to do.

He would never forget when two nights ago his brother called him, sobbing, unable to speak. Henry had imagined the worst. Finally Mike had managed to tell him the basic fact that he was at home, and so Henry went to meet him. When Henry arrived there, he found Mike kneeling on the living room’s hardwood floor, crying. He had desperation written all over his face.

Henry tried to make him talk, to tell him what happened, but there was no way. He checked the rest of the house, dreading what he would find, but it was empty. The only thing that caught his attention was the dining room. It had been all prepared for a romantic dinner, and Henry knew why. That was the evening when his sister-in-law was going to tell Mike that she was pregnant. She had wanted to surprise him, wanted to make that unforgettable moment even more special, and she had asked Henry for his help. With a heavy heart, Henry had left the untouched dining room area and had returned to his brother who was still in the living room. That was when Henry saw the paper in his brother's hands.

It was wet, the tears had blurred the words, but they were still legible. That was how Henry had discovered that his sister-in-law had been kidnapped.

It was difficult, but finally he got his brother to calm down, and tell him who these people were and why they had gone after his wife. That night, Henry promised he would do whatever it took to bring back his sister-in-law.

He was still determined to keep his promise, and although their bank robbery had _certainly_ not gone as planned, he wasn't going to change his mind. Especially because he knew she was pregnant. He would do whatever was necessary, even if that led to potentially severe consequences for him.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly as he mentally went over the next steps until the phone rang.

“Henry, it's Officer Lance again. The van is here.”

“Good. It's about time!” Henry answered, glancing at the dying Oliver. He couldn't stop feeling guilty.

But at the same time, Henry knew that he had to focus. It was time to set the _new_ plan in motion, so he took one of the bags filled with the bills and handed the other one to Mike.

“Okay, you know what you have to do,” Henry said, looking at the hostages. “I want you all in a circle around us.”

The hostages did what they asked, all of them scared about what might happen when they exited the bank. But some of them were more than just scared; they were terrified. The young girl who Felicity had helped at the beginning of the robbery was shaking badly, unable to stop the tears that were running down her cheeks.

Despite their fears and nervousness, the hostages managed to encircle the robbers and they all walked towards the exit serving as a shield for Mike and Henry, leaving Oliver and Felicity behind.

Once outside, they saw that Lance hadn't lied; the police cars had been removed from the site. He saw that the civilians' vehicles were left behind, among which was Mike’s car. Henry and Mike had placed their cars strategically. Mike’s was directly outside the bank, and Henry’s was in a parking garage not far from there.

Henry also saw the ambulances. He assumed that the paramedics were waiting for Mike and him to be far enough away so that they could enter the bank.

Henry and Mike walked to the van feeling tense, nervous, and scared at the same time. They guessed that there were snipers in surrounding the area, and they knew that even though they had a human shield, it might not be enough to protect them from the deadly rifles.

Luckily the brothers made it inside the van, and the hostages dispersed. Henry started the vehicle as fast as he could, thankful that the key had been left in the ignition for him, and they hurried away from the bank. They were sure that even though there were no police cars in sight, soon such cars would begin to tail them.

“Do you have any doubts about the plan, Mike?”

“No. We've reviewed it a bunch of times,” he replied, exasperated. “We'll go to the garage, leave the van and pick up our car, and then we'll phone the kidnappers to tell them we have the money and that we'll meet them in the park as we were told....”

“Yes, but there is little late change,” Henry said while he looked in the rearview mirror, anticipating the appearance of police cars.

“A change? What are you talking about, Henry?!”

“If they see us  enter the garage, but the van doesn't come out, they won't take long to discover that we changed vehicles and if they figure out we’re in the car registered to me, we're not going to be able to get rid of the police.”

“And what do you suggest, then?”

“You take the car. I’ll stay in the van.”

“What?! But they'll chase you!”

“I know, but it's impossible that both of us could get out of this. At least this way one of us will be free. Trust me, it's the best option.”

“I won’t leave you, Henry. I won’t let you surrender!”

“I won't ‘surrender’, Mike. I'll try to escape, but it won't be easy. However, this way you'll have much more of a chance.”

“No.”

“Mike, listen. We don't have much time,” Henry said in a serious tone when he saw the lights of the police cars in the distance. “You have to trust me and do what I say. Your wife needs you.”

“But Henry, what about you?”

“Mike I'm _not_ important. I have nothing to lose. But you have a wife, a _family_.”

“You're my family too!”

“Mike, please,” Henry pleaded as they entered the underground parking garage. “There's no time to discuss this. It's the only option we have if we want to rescue your wife.”

Mike said nothing more, but that was enough for his brother to know that Mike would do what he was asking, even though he disagreed with the idea.

Henry stopped the van next to a black car. Mike realized that it was his brother's car.

“Take care,” Henry told his brother as he gave him the keys and forced him to leave the van with the money-filled bags.

“You too,” Mike answered, looking sadly back at his brother. He feared what might happen to him.

“Cheer up, Mike, your wife and baby are waiting you!” Henry shouted as he began to drive away from there in a hurry.

Mike froze at the word _'baby'_. Did Henry lose his mind? Or that was what his wife wanted to tell him the day she’d been kidnapped? Mike felt tears in his eyes. Now he understood his brother's insistence to do what he’d asked. It was to distract the police as long as possible before he was arrested; to give him a chance to escape with his wife and yet unborn baby.

“Come on, Mike, don't screw up now,” he said to himself as he entered the car and placed the bags on the passenger seat. He turned on the radio and searched for a station where news was being reported. When he found one, and heard what they were saying, he let out a sigh he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

They were talking about the robbery, and they said that at that time the police were chasing the armored van which the robbers were in. Mike didn't know how it could be possible, but for now it seemed that no one suspected that he was no longer in the van.

He pulled out his phone and called the number the kidnappers had given to him. It was time to get his wife back. _This had better work,_ Mike thought, aware of the sacrifice that his brother was willing to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me comments, because I would like to know what you think about this chapter. I’d especially like to know what you think about Lance’s thoughts towards Oliver, and what you think about Henry’s actions. You might find out something more about the robbers in a future chapter, but I'm not gonna promise anything yet. We'll see. ;-)


	19. The Heart of the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank you for all your commennts and new bookmarks, subscriptions and kudos. I’m very grateful! And thanks also to my beta, **luvtheheaven** , who always helps me to improve this fic, and not only with grammar or spelling issues.  
> This chapter is from Dig's POV, so you have a lot of him in there. But you also have a little bit of Team Arrow, because, yeah! Oliver, Felicity and Diggle will be finally together! =D  
> A note: Before I forget, I want to apologize for any errors related to medical issues that may appear from now on. You might want to know that when I started writing this fic, my medical knowledge was limited to putting on a band-aid and little else. And, yes, it’s true that nowadays you can find almost any information you want to find on internet; but even though I did in-depth research (and actually, I’m still researching some things so that I will be able to add specific details in later chapters), you can imagine that I haven’t acquired perfect medical knowledge from it.  
> That said, enjoy reading! And remember that you can find me on Facebook as Oiaso FicWriter. ;-)  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 19. The Heart of the Team**

Diggle was currently experiencing the longest four minutes of his entire life. There were too many things going through his mind at the same time. But one stuck out above all the others: Oliver.

The van would be there soon and Diggle went to talk to the paramedics. He had to convince them to let him go into the bank with them. He had been feeling helpless for too long and couldn't stand it anymore. Besides, he was sure that Felicity would need a friendly face when she would be forced to separate from Oliver.

He left the base of operations and went straight to the ambulance.

“Excuse me,” Diggle said politely.

“Yes?” asked one of the paramedics.

“I'm John Diggle, Mr. Queen's bodyguard. And I came here to tell you I'm going with you into the bank.”

“What? No, no way, mister.”

“You didn't understand. I'm _not_ asking. And believe me, you're going to need my help.”

The paramedics looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Diggle felt that he had already told too many secrets about Oliver that day and he didn't want to reveal any more, but he realized that it would be necessary if he wanted to convince them.

“I'm pretty sure he's going to think that you're enemies who want to hurt him, so he'll attack you as soon as you touch him. Especially considering the fact that he has already begun acting delusional.”

“Attack us? That makes no sense.”

“Mr. Queen suffers severe PTSD due to his years on the island.”

“His medical history doesn't say anything about it.”

“It's not something he wants to be public knowledge. The Queen Family values his privacy, especially about his years on the island.”

“Okay, I can understand that. But don't worry, it won't be the first time we’ve dealt with PTSD.”

“I don't doubt that, but I've been with him during some of his flashbacks, and he can be really dangerous.”

“As I said, we've dealt with PTSD before. So you don’t need to worry, we’ll be fine.”

“You're very wrong. You have no idea what he went through in those five years.” _Dammit, even_ I _can’t get used to the idea._ “You know _nothing_ of what he had to do _to survive_.”

“Listen, I understand that being stranded for years had to be tough, as well as the subsequent adaptation to civilized life, but I'm sure he can't be as dangerous as you're saying.”

Diggle was beyond annoyed. The paramedics were taking for granted that Oliver's stay on the island had been a walk in the park. He had to make them understand. He hadn’t wanted to reveal this next detail, but he now knew it’d be the only way.

“Around Christmas he had a bike accident and he was admitted to the hospital. One nurse got a split lip when she was changing his bandages, and he almost suffocated another one when she tried to wake him up from a nightmare.”

Diggle saw that those words attracted the attention of the paramedics. They realized that what had actually happened on the island probably was quite different than what had been implied on the news programs. Diggle also realized they would be seeing Oliver’s chest soon, so he figured he might as well prepare them now.

“Mr. Queen has more than 20% of his body covered in scar tissue, second degree burns on his arms and back, and at least 12 fractures that didn't heal properly.” _Not to mention all the times he has been hurt since his return._ “And no, none of those injuries were self-inflicted.”

Diggle stopped talking to let them absorb his words.

“What happened to him?” one of them asked, shocked when he finally understood what Diggle was implying was torture.

“It doesn't matter. But what really does matter is the fact that I have to go in there with you.”

“All right,” they accepted with resignation.

Just a minute later, Diggle’s heart began beating a mile a minute. The van had arrived, the robbers had left the bank with hostages around them like a shield, and he was running towards the bank with the paramedics.

The scene they found once they made it inside took his breath away. Watching Oliver and Felicity through the cameras had been bad, but seeing them in person was even worse. Time seemed to stop at that moment.

Tears were streaming down Felicity's face mixed with the traces of blood that were on her cheeks. She was asking, begging Oliver to hang on, to not leave her; telling him that the medical help was about to arrive and that she needed him in her life. But her words were mixed with heartbreaking sobs. Diggle had never seen her so scared and desperate and his heart hurt for her.

After a moment, he took his eyes off Felicity and focused on Oliver. He then felt tears pricking his own eyes. Oliver was white as a sheet, a pool of blood spreading around him, his body all sweaty, his breaths short and shallow, his eyes closed... and his jaw clenched tightly. That was the only sign that Diggle could find to confirm that Oliver was still fighting for his life; a life that seemed to be slipping away from him with every shaking breath.

Diggle just took a couple of seconds to take in the scene in front of him, but for him it seemed much longer. He saw the paramedics crouch next to Oliver while one of them placed his hands on her shoulders and gently tried to pull Felicity away from him. Her anguished cries made Diggle react.

“No! I can't leave him! I promised! I promised him I wouldn't leave him!”

Felicity was fighting with all her might to stay with Oliver. Diggle kneeled beside her, and unlike the paramedic who had tried to move her by force, he talked to her. He put a hand on her cheek and spoke softly but firmly.

“Felicity, look at me.”

Some part of her mind seemed to recognize the voice, and when she was able to look away from Oliver she realized that it was Diggle who was at her side.

“I promised him,” she whispered in a voice so broken that Diggle felt his already breaking heart now shattering into pieces.

“I know, and you won't break that promise. But you have to give the paramedics some space so that they can take care of Oliver. Will you do that?”

“Ye-yeah.”

Diggle saw the paramedic who had tried to deal with her nodding in gratitude. Diggle helped her up and they took a few steps back. He didn't let go of her even for a moment, afraid that her legs might fail at any time. Now that Oliver was finally being treated, Diggle assumed that sooner or later all that Felicity had just gone through would catch up with her.

The fact that Oliver didn't react to the loss of Felicity's touch made Diggle even more worried than he already was. It wasn't a good sign at all. However, he knew that he had to hide his fears for Felicity's sake, so he whispered words of comfort. He told her that everything was going to be okay, that Oliver was strong, and that he would make it. Diggle said all that despite not being sure if it would be true.

They saw the paramedics working diligently, checking Oliver's pulse and blood pressure. They also put an oxygen mask on him so he could breathemore easily. When the same paramedic who had tried to take Felicity away grabbed Oliver's arm in preparation to start a blood transfusion, Diggle saw that Oliver tensed. The moment he had been dreading had arrived.

Diggle shouted a warning to the paramedics, not knowing exactly what he said. He only knew that a few seconds later he was holding Oliver to prevent him from hurting himself. Despite his warnings, Oliver's reaction had taken the paramedics by surprise, and Oliver had managed to hit one of them in the jaw. The bruise didn't take long to appear.

“Oliver, relax. It's me, it's Diggle.”

“Felicity!” It was a gasp, full of fear and distress, and mixed with pain.

“She's fine.” Diggle could feel that Oliver was still struggling against his grip and against the paramedics who were trying to treat his wound. “Oliver, she's fine, she's right here, and she's not going anywhere. Just relax and let the paramedics take care of you, okay?”

“Relax, Oliver.” It was Felicity's soft voice. At some point she’d stopped sobbing, although some tears were still escaping her eyes. “I'm here, I'm with you.”

“Okay,” Oliver whispered, and as he said it he stopped fighting and closed his eyes again in a gesture of surrender.

When the paramedic took Oliver's arm again, looking for a vein, he saw that despite Diggle having just calmed him down, Oliver tensed again and looked around frantically for any sign of danger. _Five years on an island. Scars. Burns. Torture. PTSD._ All those words passed through the paramedic's mind, and still holding Oliver's arm, he spoke calmly.

“Mr. Queen,” the paramedic called him.

When he saw no response, he tried with his first name. It worked and the paramedic had his attention.

“Oliver, I'm going to put in an IV for a blood transfusion, okay? I need you to be still and relax your arm. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to help.”

Oliver nodded as much as he could and closed his eyes once more, repeating to himself that he must keep still, that these people just wanted to help him, that he was no longer in Lian Yu, that they were there to save his life.

When the paramedic felt Oliver relax, he sighed in relief and inserted the IV.

Diggle went back over to Felicity and hugged her tightly. Oliver's reaction had helped them both to feel a little less anxious, because after all, it meant that he was still conscious. That he wasn’t as close to death as he could be.

Both paramedics kept telling Oliver what they were doing and where they were going to touch him. Despite their conversation with Diggle, when they had entered the bank and had seen his poor condition, they had forgotten about his severe PTSD and had proceeded to treat him like any other patient. It was a mistake they wouldn't make again.

Diggle didn't know how much time had passed when he saw the paramedics carefully placing Oliver on a stretcher to be taken to their vehicle. He assumed that meant they had managed to stabilize him, at least enough to overcome the ambulance ride.

He followed them out of the bank, holding Felicity at his side. There was no trace of the robbers or of the rest of hostages. However, what Diggle did see was a large number of people crowding behind the police tape, as well as quite a few TV cameras trying to get an image of the injured person and figure out who he was. Fortunately, the ambulance was quite close to the bank’s entrance, so it seemed that the paramedics would be able to keep Oliver's identity hidden for the moment. However, Diggle knew that it wouldn't take the press long to figure out it was Oliver, because Diggle and Felicity had left the bank with him, her clothes soaked in blood which clearly wasn’t hers. Diggle sighed, tired, knowing that the press would connect them to the billionaire Oliver Queen easily. He was aware that he should call Thea before she found out from the news.

When he looked at Felicity again, he was pretty sure that she was in shock. She hadn’t said anything since she had asked Oliver to relax. Calling Thea would have to wait until they got to the hospital. Diggle knew that there was a good chance that once he spoke with Thea he would have to pick her up to take her to the hospital to be with her brother, and for now, Felicity needed him with her.

 “Felicity,” he said to her, softly.

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Diggle released her, stepped forward and stood in front of her, taking her by the shoulders. She was no longer crying. Her face was blank, keeping her emotions behind a wall she’d just built.

“Oliver will be fine,” he told her. “They'll take him to hospital and soon he'll be doing pull ups on the salmon ladder while you pretend to not look at him,”he said, trying to get a reaction from her. But he knew it had been unsuccessful when she barely answered him with a ‘Yeah’.

Diggle lowered his head in resignation. Sooner or later he would have to break that barrier. She was the heart of their team. She had to remain so. _For Oliver. For me too. But most of all, for herself._ Diggle was aware that Felicity had lost a lot of things since she’d joined Oliver's crusade. Her free time, her peaceful life, her IT job... She had given up those things voluntarily. Other things, like her innocence, had been stolen from her. Diggle would not let her lose anything more. He didn't want her being afraid to feel, or closing herself up as she was doing at that moment. Diggle couldn’t allow that. He would do everything he could to help her remain the emotional anchor of their team. Diggle wouldn’t let her to lose that aspect of who she was too.

“Come on,” he said as he led her to the car.

Once she was inside, he closed the door and went to the driver's side. He looked up and saw Lance. When their eyes met, the officer spoke to him.

“Take care of her.” Diggle had no doubt who he was referring to with that 'her'. Felicity had the ability to make everyone who crossed her path care about her. “See you at the hospital,” Lance added.

Then Diggle took one last look toward the ambulance which contained Oliver. The paramedics hadn't closed its doors yet; it seemed that they wanted to be sure that everything was in order before leaving for the hospital. Thankfully, Felicity didn't hear the cry that froze Diggle's blood.

“He's crashing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this chapter, it seemed that I couldn't stop, so at the end it had about 4000 words. I thought that it was too long, so I decided to split it into two. And where I could cut it? Yes, right there. I guess I couldn't help it. It's me, remember?  
> But please, don’t hate me. I’m pretty sure that this will be the last cliffhanger in this fic. Plus, from now on, the angst level will decrease gradually to turn little by little into a happy ending. ;-)  
> That said, thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	20. Little Sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I want to thank you all, once again, for your continuous support by your comments, subscriptions, bookmarks and kudos. I also want to thank my incredible beta, luvtheheaven, who always does great work.  
> About this chapter… I’ll only say I love the friendship between Diggle and Felicity. It's a great pleasure to write about them.   
> Brief note: I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to post the next chapter until over a week away from now. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I will be able to be quite that fast. However, if any of you want to get in touch with me, remember that you can find me on FB as _Oiaso FicWriter_.  
>  Enjoy reading!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 20. Little Sister**

Diggle couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true that Oliver’s heart had stopped beating. It had to be a sick joke. But no. He could hear the screams of the paramedics saying things like "Give me the paddles" and "charge at 360".

Diggle wasn't a religious man, but at that moment he prayed for Oliver's life.

He never would get to know if it had been due to his prayers, to Oliver's strength or to the paramedics' good work; but when he heard them saying that they’d managed to stabilize Oliver, he felt that they had won another battle against death.

When he saw that they had finally closed the doors of the ambulance, he got into the car. Felicity was exactly as he had left her. When he took the wheel he realized that his hands were shaking slightly. He didn't realize until that moment.  He took a deep breath to calm down. He started the engine and began following the ambulance on its way to the hospital, quite worried about how Oliver was doing.

“Felicity.”

“Mm hmm?”

“You know you don't have to pretend with me, right? It's only you and me now.”

“Yeah, I know, John.”

“Then talk to me.”

Diggle could imagine that there were many emotions going though Felicity’s head right now and that it wouldn’t be easy for her to find her words, so he waited patiently until she finally spoke.

“Did Lance get the audio?”

“Yes, and it was very helpful. They have their confession thanks to your trick.”

Diggle saw from the corner of his eye her grimace. He knew where her mind was.

“Lance didn't hear you. He only heard Oliver. I turned off the speakers, so he doesn't know that you posed as Sara.”

“Oh.” It was all she was able to say.

“Also, I think Lance needed to know how guilty Oliver still feels about Sara's death.”

Felicity looked at him, confused.

“Lance has blamed and hated Oliver for so long, and it's understandable, but I think that will change, starting now. He knows who Oliver is.”

“What?! Does that mean what I think it means? But how he can know? And what are we going to do now?”

Diggle waited until Felicity stopped her battery of questions before answering.

“Lance is very smart, and there have been too many coincidences that point to Oliver.”

“But you denied it, didn't you?”

“Felicity. He _knew_. As much as I would have denied it... it would have been useless. Lance is not someone who is easily fooled.”

“And what is he going to do?” she asked in distress.

“Take a moment to wrap his head around it, I guess. I think he still doesn’t understand what Oliver and The Arrow being the same person really means.”

“And do you think that after what happened today, Detective Lance will no longer blame him?”

“I'm not sure, but I hope so. It could help Oliver to ease some of the burdens he's been carrying since the island.”

They were silent for a while, each one lost in their own thoughts, until Felicity spoke again.

“Does he really not know what I did?” Felicity asked, still worried about what Lance might think about her.

“No, he doesn't. I promise. Lance only knows that when Oliver was delirious he thought he saw Sara.”

“But you—”

“I learned how to read lips a long time ago,” he cut her off.

“Oh,” she said once again.

“So… You… Do you know…?”

Diggle felt Felicity's anxiety increasing rapidly.

“Do you know what Oliver told me?” she asked finally, her head down and her eyes fixed on her lap.

“Not everything,” he answered honestly.

“Oliver was about to tell me he loves me,” she said quietly, not knowing if Diggle was aware of that particular fact. “He was going to tell me he loves me,” she repeated in a choked voice, as if she just had realized what that actually meant.

Diggle waited for her to go on, not wanting to push her.

“And I didn't let him,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. “What if he doesn't have another chance? And what if I never get a chance to tell him I love him too?”

“That won't happen, Felicity. You know how stubborn Oliver is. And you gave him a reason to fight.”

Felicity looked up from her lap and looked at Diggle, the confusion written all over her face.

“I think Oliver has had feelings for you for a long time; he just hadn't noticed. The way he looks at you, or the ease with which he seeks out your touch... He does these things without thinking, without realizing it. He wasn't aware of it, or maybe he didn't want to admit that what he feels for you is not just friendship. When he saw us on the island, I'm sure he was relieved, although he didn't want to admit it. He missed you Felicity... But he had been on the island alone for five months, where the only thing he could do was think, and he genuinely believed that he had failed the city, that all those deaths were his fault. Oliver was frightened, Felicity. After what happened to Tommy—”

“Earlier in the bank,” Felicity interrupted quietly, trying to control her emotions, “when he thought he was talking to Sara, he said he couldn’t deal with more deaths. He mentioned his father and Tommy; but he also said other names... I guess they were people he’d met on the island, and it seemed like he also feels guilty for their deaths.”

“That's the point, Felicity. Oliver has suffered the death of too many people he loved. And now that he's The Arrow, he has more enemies than ever. He thinks that admitting and confessing his feelings puts you at risk and he doesn’t want that.”

“But ... But I'm already part of Team Arrow. Being together... that wouldn't change anything! But he can't see that, can he?”

“Oliver can be a little obtuse sometimes.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Felicity chuckled and Diggle couldn't help a little smile in response. Despite everything that had just happened, despite the gravity of the situation and the seriousness of their conversation, he felt like their anxiety level had finally dropped.

Before long, Diggle announced, “We're arriving.”

Felicity shifted in her seat.

“Everything will be okay, Felicity. It's Oliver we're talking about. He's been through much worse and has always survived. This time won't be different. He also has a certain blonde, beautiful and smart girl waiting; a girl who I'm sure would kill him with one of his own arrows if he dies.”

Felicity couldn't help but smile a little when she heard his joke. It seemed that he always knew what to say to ease her worries.

“Thanks, John, for everything.”

“Always.”

It was true. For Diggle, Felicity was like the little sister he’d never had. In the five months that Oliver had been away, their friendship had grown, and Diggle now would be there for her whenever she needed him. It didn’t matter if what she needed was simply a friend to eat ice cream with while watching one of her favorite TV shows or if something more significant was required of him, such as when she needed someone to calm her down after a mission had gone wrong.

Once both the ambulance and Diggle’s limo had gotten to the hospital, mere seconds after one another, Diggle and Felicity followed the paramedics and Oliver, who was still lying on the stretcher, into the building. The hospital had been advised of Oliver's condition, so there already were a bunch of doctors and nurses waiting for him. Diggle saw Oliver disappearing behind a set of double doors with the doctors, and when he and Felicity tried to go after him, a nurse who was in her fifties stopped them.

“Excuse me. This area is only for medical personnel.”

“How is he?” Felicity inquired.

“Are you family members?” the nurse asked, even though she knew the answer. She had no doubt that neither one of them was a Queen.

“We are his friends,” Felicity said with a teary voice, afraid that the nurse wouldn't let them know how Oliver was.

“And I’m also his emergency contact,” Diggle added. “You can check it on his medical record. I'm John Diggle.”

The nurse knew that he was telling the truth. His tone was completely sincere.

“Okay, I'll see what I can do. But meanwhile there’s nothing you can do but wait, so I recommend you to go to the waiting areaat the end of this hallway.” The nurse hesitated a moment before continuing. “I have a better idea. If you follow me, I will lead you to one of the nurses' lounges. It's very close to here, and no one will bother you there, not even the other nurses, much less the press. I'll take care of that.”

“Thank you,” they answered in unison. They knew that the nurse was probably only acting so kind because Oliver was the patient, but they didn't give any importance to that particular fact.

As the nurse was leading them to the lounge she asked, “Have his family been informed?”

“Not yet. Everything has been a little... rushed,” Diggle said, faltering.

“Should I ask the receptionist to make the call?”

“No, don't worry. I'll call his sister,” he answered, more confident this time.

“Okay.”

The nurse stopped in front of a door and opened it, revealing a small room with a table and two chairs, a sofa that seemed very comfortable and a counter with a coffee maker and a plate full of cookies.

“Here it is. There's a bathroom behind that door. There are towels and everything you could need if you wanted to take a shower,” the nurse said, looking at Felicity.

Felicity was about to protest, but when she looked down and noticed that her clothes were stained with blood, her protest died in her throat.

“Yeah, thank you. If you don’t mind, I'm going to...” she trailed off as she pointed to the door.

Felicity entered into the bathroom, leaving Diggle with the nurse.

“I'll get her some scrubs. She would probably prefer real clothes, but at least she will have something clean to wear.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You're welcome.”

When the nurse was about to leave, Diggle stopped her.

“Excuse me, could you tell me anything about Oliver? His sister's going to demand answers when I call her.”

The nurse didn't doubt that. Because Diggle was Oliver’s emergency contact, and because the nurse was almost sure that both of them had been in the robbery, she realized there wasn't any reason to hide information.

“I actually don't have too much information. We just had been told before Mr. Queen's arrival that he has suffered a gunshot wound in the right abdominal area. The paramedics couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but they thought that he might have a slight laceration on his liver, hence the heavy internal bleeding. He had a cardiac arrest once he was on the ambulance and another one during the ride, but they managed to stabilize him. Right now he's in surgery, but that's all I know.”

“Thank you,” Diggle said, sounding defeated. He had thought that once Oliver had gone into the care of medical professionals, he would be fine, but now he didn't know what to think. Something in the nurse's voice scared him. He had seen Oliver pretty badly injured in the past; he’d even had to use the defibrillator on him after his mother had shot him. And Oliver always had survived. _This nurse doesn’t know him; she doesn't know how stubborn he is. Oliver will survive, I know he will,_ Diggle told himself as if that would push away the fear for his friend's life that the nurse had increased.

She nodded silently, then said, “I'll get the scrubs, and I'll see if I can find out anything else.” She knew that at that moment any reassuring word would be really helpful.

This time it was Diggle's turn to nod. The nurse closed the door behind her, and Diggle dropped onto the couch. He could hear the shower, and assumed that Felicity would take a while. If he knew anything about women, it was that there wasn't a better place for them to cry and unwind than under the hot water of a shower.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Thea's number. He knew that it wouldn't be a pleasant call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	21. Finding New Friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I’m so sorry for the delay. I know I said a week and that it has been more than that, but sometimes RL is just crazy... I was supposed to finish my thesis by the first week of July, and I did, but then my tutor thought I could do even better, so I have been working on it since then. I had my thesis defense on September 2, so as you can imagine, I didn't have any spare time these past weeks. But it was well worth since now I can say that I just got my degree in "Arquitectura Técnica". I'm not sure about the translation, but the Internet says that it might be something like "Architectural technology". I don’t know… It's similar to "Architecture", but the career lasts three years (instead of the five of Architecture) and probably, the main difference between the two of them is that buildings' structure is beyond my legal competences, at least here in Spain.  
> To cut a long story short, I have been busy finishing my thesis, but now that I have my degree and as I don't think I will find a job immediately, I guess I will have more time to write (and translate, lol). I really hope so. ;-)  
> That all said, I want to thank you all for your comments, subscriptions, bookmarks and kudos. I'm afraid I will never be able to thank you enough, but that doesn't mean I will stop trying. And of course, thank also to my beta, **luvtheheaven** , for her help, patience and amazing suggestions.  
> This has certainly been the chapter that has taken me the most time to write so far. I'm not lying when I say I'd been stuck on it for two whole weeks. Two! When usually, I don't need more than a couple of hours.   
> When you read it, maybe you wouldn't understand why it was so hard to write. The reason is that Thea is a very complex character, and she’s difficult for me to write. Plus, in the TV show, she has barely interacted with Diggle so far, so I basically had to imagine how their interactions would be. I wrote, and erased, and wrote again so many times that I lost count. And then, I had to add Roy and Felicity to the mix. So, after a lot of changes, finally I decided that the chapter was good enough to post, and here you have it. I hope I did an acceptable job not only with Diggle and Thea, but also with Felicity and Roy.  
> Enjoy reading, and don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 21. Finding New Friendships**

Thea had been at Verdant for couple of hours. She was checking inventory when strong arms hugged her from behind.

“Roy,” she said, fondly.

He didn't answer. Instead, he began giving small kisses on her shoulder, slowly rising to her neck. She hummed in approval, and Roy responded by making her twist in his arms, so they would be facing each other. Thea's arms wrapped around Roy's neck as their lips met over and over again.

That's when Thea's phone started ringing.

“Ignore it,” Roy asked between kisses.

“It could be import—” Thea's sentence was cut off when Roy kissed her again, this time running his tongue over her lips asking permission, to which Thea gladly agreed.

They deepened the kiss, immersed in their own little world, and the phone stopped ringing. When they parted, both were panting.

“You see? It wasn't important,” Roy said as he moved his mouth to her neck.

When the phone rang again, Roy growled in frustration, but he continued leaving kisses on Thea's neck, going down slowly, trying to persuade her to once again ignore the call.

But if Thea was known for something, it was her stubbornness, comparable only to her brother's stubbornness, so she pulled her phone out of her pocket to see who was calling. Her body tensed when she read the name that was on the screen. Roy noticed her discomfort and moved away to look into her eyes.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

But instead of replying, Thea answered the call.

“Miss Queen? It's Mr. Diggle. I’m calling about your brother.” Diggle’s tone of voice was gravely serious.

“What happened?” she asked with frantic voice.

Roy looked at her, frowning, trying to figure out what was happening.

“There was a robbery at the bank and your brother was injured. We are in the hospital.”

“But ... But is he okay?”

“Right now he's in surgery. I don't know anything more, I'm afraid.” The bodyguard sounded like he genuinely wished he knew more. “Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No, no need. Wait there and call me if you know something new.”

“Of course.”

When Thea hung up the phone she was very pale. Roy didn't hear the whole conversation, but he could imagine that something bad had happened concerning someone she cared about.

“Thea,” he said, softly. “What happened?”

“Ollie ... He's in the hospital. There’s been a robbery and... I don't know anything more.”

Roy knew she was making a great effort to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

“Roy, I can't lose him. Not again.”

“Hey, you won't lose him,” he answered, confident.

Roy didn't know what had happened, or how Oliver was doing but he needed to try to calm her down.

“Come on, I'll take you to the hospital.”

“N-no.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Is somebody going to pick you up?”

“No, I'll take a cab.”

“What? No, no way. I'll take you there.”

“No.”

“Thea, if you think I'm going to let you go on your own to the hospital, you're very wrong.”

“Roy, please. I need to be alone for a few minutes, okay? My brother is in the hospital, _again_! And I... I just need some time to absorb it.”

“Okay, but you're not gonna take a cab.”

“I'm not asking permission, Roy!” she yelled, the situation starting to overwhelm her.

“Listen, I'm going to take you there. Once we get there, if you want me to leave I will, but I don’t want you going alone. Okay?” he said in a quiet but firm voice.

Thea looked into his eyes, and she didn’t see anything but pure love and also some concern. She then realized it might actually be comforting to have Roy with her on the way to the hospital.

“Okay,” she finally said, accepting his offer.

“Good,” he replied. “Come on. We're wasting time here.”

He walked her to his car, but when he tried to help her into it, she angrily yelled at him, “I can open my own damn door, Roy!” While he drove, he tried to distract her by recounting some of the times he had been in trouble before he had met her, but Thea's mind was far away. She was too worried about her brother to pay attention to Roy.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Thea barely waited until they were parked before getting out of the car and went rushing into the building followed by Roy. As soon as they entered, they had to ignore the reporters that had been waiting there just to hound her for information about her brother. . Thea and Roy approached the reception counter, but they were intercepted by a female doctor.

“Excuse me, Miss Queen?” the woman asked, politely.

“Yes. How is my brother?”

“I'm sorry, I don't know. But I know where the people who came with him are. You should follow me, please.”

_People? Which people?_ Thea wondered. _Mr. Diggle didn't tell me he was with anyone. Although he didn't tell me he was alone, either._ Roy and Thea followed the doctor, holding hands as they approached the lounge where Diggle and Felicity had been led.

The doctor knocked on the door and entered, followed by the young couple. Felicity was still in the bathroom, so only Diggle was in sight. As soon as Thea saw him, she asked, “What happened? How’s Ollie? Is he still in surgery?”

“Miss Queen, please sit down.”

“Call me Thea, please,” she asked.

At these moments, she didn't feel like a powerful Queen. At these moments she was just a young girl who was extremely worried about her brother. Also, the "Miss Queen" reminded her of the reporters that had assaulted her upon her arrival. If her instinct was correct, she was going to be spending a significant portion of this day in the company of this bodyguard, and him calling her anything other than “Thea” would be very impersonal, which would make her feel uncomfortable. Besides, she knew that his relationship with Oliver was much closer than that of employer and employee. Diggle's voice during the phone call was obvious proof of it, plus lately, from a distance, she had begun to witness them acting somewhat like friends. Her brother wasn't a person who could trust people easily, at least not after the island, so if he trusted Diggle, she knew she could too.

“Okay, then Thea. Sit down, please.”

She sat on the couch next to Diggle. Roy stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders, reminding her that he was there for her, that she wasn't going through this alone.

“Tell me what happened, please,” she said, quietly.

“As I said before, there was a robbery at the bank. The robbers got nervous and your brother was shot. They... They didn't let the paramedics enter immediately—”

“What? Why not?” Thea interrupted angrily.

“They were nervous, scared... I don't know for sure. Oliver lost a lot of blood due to that delay, but Felicity, his assistant who was with him in the bank at the time, did a great job stopping the bleeding. She saved his life, Thea.”

Diggle knew that Felicity would want to be with Oliver every minute he would have to spend at the hospital. But he also knew that since she wasn't family or his emergency contact, she wouldn't be allowed to be there if Thea didn’t want her to be. The young girl didn't know how close the friendship between Felicity and her brother was, so Diggle felt it was important that Thea know what Felicity had done. He thought that maybe, that way, Thea would let the blonde stay there.

“Once the paramedics were able to attend to your brother, they stabilized him and brought him here immediately.”

Diggle thought it wasn't necessary to make her worry even more by telling her that his heart had stopped twice before reaching the hospital.

He concluded, “He’s still in surgery.”

“Why?” Thea asked with a broken voice.

Both Roy and Diggle looked at her in confusion. They didn't know what she meant.

“Why him? Why him of all the people who were in the bank? Hasn't he suffered _enough_ already? Haven't we all?” she asked to no one in particular, bursting into tears.

Diggle got up to make space for Roy, who walked around the couch and then sat next to Thea, hugging her, trying to give her his support.

The bodyguard looked at the young couple with a heavy heart. It was true that Oliver had been through a lot, but he realized his sister had too. She had lost her father and brother and gone through such intense grief when she was just a child, only to discover five years later that Oliver was still alive. Then she had almost lost him again around Christmas. She had been in a car accident after she had taken Vertigo, and she had been about to go to jail for it. Her mother had been an accomplice in the earthquake that had killed _many_ people in the Glades and was now in prison awaiting trial, and quite likely the death penalty. Her brother had been missing in "Europe" for five months, and now that he was back, he was fighting for his life after being shot in a robbery. It seemed that the misfortune of the Queen family would never end.

Diggle's thoughts were interrupted when the bathroom's door opened. Felicity, wearing the scrubs the nurse had brought her, came out and froze when she saw a terribly distraught Thea. Felicity's eyes met Diggle's, and he could see the absolute terror she felt.

“Felicity no, it's not that! Oliver is alive, he's still in surgery. He's _alive_ , Felicity,” he hastened to explain when he realized that seeing Thea crying inconsolably made Felicity think that Oliver had died.

When Diggle's words registered in her mind, Felicity sighed and relaxed. For a moment, she had thought the worst.

Thea also heard Diggle’s words, and when he said Felicity's name, Thea couldn't help but look at her. Her hair was wet and pulled back into a ponytail, she was wearing scrubs and her eyes were puffy and red. There was no doubt that she had been crying. Thea had a feeling that she had seen her before, but she couldn't remember where. She just knew that if her bad look was due to Oliver's situation meant that the blonde _really_ _cared_ for him.

Thea parted from Roy's hug and got up. She approached Felicity and hugged her tightly. At first, Felicity froze in surprise, but then she wrapped her arms over the small frame of the young Queen.

“Thank you, thank you very much, Felicity,” Thea whispered vehemently between sobs.

“What for?” Felicity asked, confused.

Thea moved away a little so she could look at Felicity, and trying to control her sobs, she spoke.

“Mr. Diggle told me what you did. If it weren't for you... My brother... He would be... Thank you Felicity!” Thea said again, before returning to hugging the blonde.

“Anyone would have done the same.”

Before Thea could respond to that sentiment, someone knocked at the door. Diggle went to answer it. When the nurse who had led Diggle and Felicity there entered the lounge, the four looked at her anxiously.

“Excuse me. I came to ask if you had already called...” The nurse trailed off. “Oh, yeah, I see you already called the family.”

“How is my brother?” Thea asked, releasing Felicity.

“I'm sorry, I don't know. He's still in surgery.”

“And do you know how much longer it will last?” Felicity then asked.

“It depends on the complications that can arise, but I think it might be a couple of hours.” _A little less, maybe,_ the nurse thought to herself. But she preferred not to give them false hope.

“Oh, okay.” Felicity answered, dejected, and then she dropped onto the couch. Even though the shower had helped her to relax, it didn't help with her fatigue. She felt exhausted.

“I'll be back as soon as I know anything,” the nurse promised before leaving once again.

A few minutes passed in silence, none of them knowing what to say. Then Thea sat next to Felicity and said to her.

“No one introduced us. I'm Thea.”

“I know. If you aren't aware, you are quite famous. Besides, you're Oliver's sister, so it would be weird if I didn't know who you are... Hmm... I'm Felicity, Felicity Smoak. But you already know that, because before you called me by my name, and it is not a common name that you could say by accident, so that means you know my name; but truth be told, I don't know how, because we never talked, did we? No, definitely not, because I would remember it, and you wouldn't have had to introduce yourself, and—”

“Felicity,” Diggle stopped her babbling.

“Oh, yes. I'm sorry,” she said blushing intensely.

“I think someone has rambling issues,” Roy said in a teasing way.

“Just a little bit,” Diggle added, knowing that a few seconds of jokes were very welcomed in such a situation as this.

“I'm Roy, by the way, and since we are confessing our faults... I guess mine is my tendency to get into trouble,” he said with a shrug, as if it was a defect in his genes instead of the result of his decisions. The three people who were with him looked at him in confusion when they heard him, so he added, “What? The four of us have plenty of time to kill here. I don't know what you guys want to do, but I'd rather talk to make the wait seem shorter... So Thea, it's your turn.” Putting on the most serious face he could, but without abandoning his joking tone, he said to her, “Confess. What's your worst fault?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and once again, sorry for the delay! And remember that I'll be very grateful if you leave me comments, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	22. The Queen Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I want to thank you for the comments and new bookmaks, subscriptions and kudos. I also want to thank my beta **luvtheheaven** , for her priceless help and support.  
> Some of you asked about Oliver... In this chapter you'll find out how he's doing... Enjoy reading!  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 22. The Queen Family**

It had been just over an hour-and-a-half since the nurse had told them that Oliver was still in surgery.

During that time they had talked about a lot of trivial things, making the wait a little less painful. It was Roy who had guided the conversation at all times. He was not very talkative, but Diggle was even less so, Thea had to make a great effort to say even the tiniest phrase, and Felicity was struggling to not fall asleep now that her adrenaline was no longer pumping.

So Roy had done his best to distract them, knowing that he was the least emotionally attached to Oliver. But the truth was that he was running out of ideas. “Do you mind if I turn on the TV?” he asked eventually.

“No, go ahead,” Thea answered with a shrug.

Felicity just made a noise of approval and Diggle took the remote control from the table and handed it to Roy.

“I don't know if there will be anything decent,” the boy said as he changed the TV channels.

“Go back!” Thea screamed, startling them all.

Roy did what she asked and saw what had caused Thea's cry. A news station was talking about the robbery. That caused even Felicity to come out of her doze and pay attention to the TV.

_“As we reported a moment ago, Starling City's police managed to take control of the robber's van after a long chase. However, as you can see on the images, only one of them was inside the van. Besides, the money was not found._

_“The Police refused to comment on the matter, but it seems that the robbers took different roads at some point to mislead the police. We will continue informing you as we know anything new. Meanwhile, we will contact Mary, who is at Starling General Hospital._

_“Thanks, James. As you said, here I am waiting for any incoming news. Currently there has been no statement from the hospital or the Queen family, so it seems that Mr. Oliver Queen is still in surgery._

_“Hopefully within the next hour I will be able to give you better news about Mr. Queen, the man who overcame a shipwreck, survived five years alone on an island, managed to come back home, and now is fighting for his life after trying and almost stopping the robbery in which he unluckily was entangled, as one of the other hostages revealed to us._ _That's all for now, James._

_“Thanks Mary. Hopefully we will be able to deliver good news soon about the state of Oliver Queen. Now, back to—"_

Roy turned off the TV, wondering if it had been a good idea.

Felicity's gaze was fixed on the screen. She could only think of one thing: She hated the way the media always tried to manipulate its audience. This time they did it again.

Since the earthquake, whenever the Queens had been mentioned on TV, it had been followed by sentences full of malice, causing an increase in the city's hatred toward the family. Today, however, they were turning Oliver into the bank’s martyr, _which he really was, in some way, but that's_ _not the point,_ Felicity thought to herself.

She knew that the reporters reminding everyone of the things that he had already been through, and especially them explaining that he had been injured while trying to stop the robbery, would change the city's opinion about him. She knew the news anchors purposely wanted the residents of Starling City to care about him again just so that they would be tuning in, wanting to keep in the loop about his status. It was a sneaky way to increase their level of audience, and it made her sick.

She was so absorbed in these thoughts that the angry cry of Thea startled her. "I can't believe they only caught one of the robbers! How could the police be fooled so easily?! I don't understand. I just can't understand it!"

“Hey, calm down, Thea,” Roy asked her softly.

“I will not calm down, Roy! Not until I know that my brother's fine.”

That phrase enabled everyone to see through her facade. Thea was not just scared, she was terrified, and she was trying to hide it with anger. They couldn't blame her.

Roy didn't know what to do to decrease her suffering; Felicity wanted to tell her not to worry, that her brother would be fine... But these words seemed unwilling to leave her mouth. And Diggle knew that there was nothing he could do or say to ease her anxiety. The only way would be if the nurse would return and give her good news.

At that moment, and after what had been a long wait, a doctor came into the lounge after knocking. All eyes were on him when he began to speak:

“The Queen family?” He asked looking from one to another.

“Yes, of course,” Thea answered without delay.

“Uhm…” the doctor hesitated. “All of you?”

“Well, I...” Felicity began to say very quietly, but the young Queen cut her off.

“Yes, all of us. How is my brother?” Thea asked in a tone of voice that made her anxiety clear.

“Okay, if you say so. I'm Dr. Murphy, and I was the person who led the operation. Mr. Queen had significant internal bleeding due to a gunshot in his right abdominal area, which also caused a Grade Two laceration in his liver. We took care of it in the operation by—”

“But how is he? Is he going to be okay?” Thea asked with a higher voice than usual. She didn't want to hear his medical jargon, she didn't need to hear exactly what they had done in the operating room. She only needed to know _how_ her brother was.

The doctor swallowed hard. He knew what she was asking, and he understood why, but it was very hard for him to give a simple answer here. He was a good doctor; actually, out of every physician in the hospital, he was the one with the highest success rate at performing surgery on gunshot victims. That was why he was the one who had performed Oliver's operation, but interacting with patients' families wasn't his forte. He had never been good at that, and the confused faces of the people who were in front of him confirmed that he had never improved.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the right words. Diggle saw the difficulties he was having and tried to help him.

“Doctor, perhaps you should leave the full explanation for later, and for now only tell us if the operation went well.”

“Yeah, okay… It was a difficult operation due to the amount of blood he had lost, but it was a success. However, we will need to keep Mr. Queen in the ICU a few days to make sure that he doesn't develop an infection.”

“So he's going to be okay?” Thea asked, relieved.

“Yes, barring any complications, he should hopefully be fine. He will need to be in the hospital two or three weeks depending on his progress, but then he should be almost back to normal.”

“Almost?” the young Queen asked, frightened.

“Even after his recovery, he will have to take things easy to ensure that the liver laceration heals properly, and he won’t be able to do any strenuous physical activity for the following six weeks. But otherwise... There should be no problem.”

At the mention of the physical activity restriction, Diggle and Felicity couldn't help but look at the other. They knew what six weeks without any exercise would mean for Oliver's mood. They would have to find a way to cheer him up.

The doctor waited to be asked more questions, knowing that they were absorbing all the information he just gave them.

“Can we see him?” Thea asked, eventually.

“Yes, of course, as soon as he's situated in the ICU room, but only two people at once, please. And don't worry if he's asleep or semi-conscious. Once he wakes up from anesthesia we will keep him sedated and we'll give him high levels of painkillers, so that he can rest and heal properly.”

Before leaving the lounge, the doctor explained that a nurse would be coming to tell them when Oliver was in the ICU.

Felicity was crestfallen. Two people. Only two people could enter the room, and she feared that she wouldn't be one of them. Thea looked at her and noticed her sadness.

“Felicity?” Thea said softly to get her attention. “Would you like to come with me into Oliver's room?”

“What? Are you serious?” Felicity asked, surprised but excited at the same time. The young Queen just nodded. “Thank you very much, Thea. Really,” she added before hugging the other girl tightly.

It seemed that a strong bond was beginning to form between the two of them.

While the four of them were waiting for the nurse, they decided that since only two people were allowed in the room, Roy would return to Verdant to take charge of the club for the night. Diggle in turn would go to the mansion to bring some things for both Thea and Oliver. He decided that he also would go to Felicity's.

When the nurse arrived, the girls said goodbye to Roy and Diggle, and then followed her silently through the hospital hallways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	23. Happiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I wish I could post this chapter sooner, but you know… Sometimes RL happens.  
> I had a lot of doubts about where I should cut this chapter, but finally, I decided that the last paragraphs are necessary here so you won’t forget what I said… things will get better from now on.  
> Before I let you read the chapter, I want to thank you for your continuous support by the bookmarkas, subscriptions and kudos, but especially by your comments. And I also want to thank **kenyancougar** who betaed this chapter for me. Thank you very much my dear!  
>  That said, enjoy reading! And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 23. Happiness**

“It's here,” the nurse said, stopping just before a door with a large glass window that allowed them to see inside. “Before you enter, I need to ask you, have you ever been in an ICU room?”

Felicity nodded while Thea denied it almost whispering.

“It's Okay. I only asked this because I want you to be prepared. Mr. Queen is connected to several machines and intravenous lines, but you don't have to be scared. Remember that he's still under the effects of anesthesia, so now he needs help to perform some vital functions such as breathing. Do you understand? In addition, we will have him monitored continuously, and we're going to check his vital signs every hour to make sure his recovery is going well.”

The nurse waited until they absorbed all the information she gave them and then said, “You can go in now if you want, although it will take an hour or so for him to wake up. We will keep an eye on him the whole time, but if you see that he moves his fingers or his eyelids tremble, press the button next to his bed and I or one of the other nurses will come, okay? Some patients wake up from anesthesia faster than others, and it is very _important_ to have a nurse with him at that time.”

Felicity thanked the nurse and then looked at Thea, who gave a little nod telling her she was ready to enter the room. But it wasn't true. When Felicity opened the door and Thea saw his brother she gasped.

“Ollie,” she muttered approaching him as a single tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

Although the nurse had assured them that there was nothing to be scared about, Thea couldn't help but look at the machines and tubes to which Oliver was connected.

It wasn't the first time she had to visit her brother at the hospital, and knowing his bad luck, it probably wouldn't be the last, but she had never had to visit him in ICU until then.

She felt a slight pressure on her right shoulder and she realized that Felicity had approached her with a chair and was inviting her to sit down. Thea didn't object. She knew she would be spending a lot of time in that room, so she would take advantage of every little opportunity she could to find comfort. She saw that Felicity grabbed another chair for her and placed it on the other side of the bed, as near as possible to Oliver.

She also saw that Felicity moved her hand slowly stopping before reaching Oliver's hand, as if she doubted whether she was allowed to hold his hand. Finally she took it and Thea couldn't help but wonder what the true nature of their relationship was.

For a brief moment, Thea stopped thinking about the fact that her brother had been shot, she stopped thinking about how he had gone through a high-risk operation, and she stopped thinking about how pale and weak he seemed lying in that hospital bed. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to think that perhaps her brother had found more than a good friend in Felicity. She wondered if, perhaps, Felicity would be the woman who would make him happy.

Because Oliver was _not_ happy. Thea knew it. She hadn't notice it when he returned home after being "dead" for five years. Not at first. But Thea soon saw that Oliver only showed them what he wanted them to see. She noticed his lies, and the forced smiles that never reached his eyes. She learned to see how uncomfortable he felt when he was surrounded by too many people and how much he avoided spending time at home. Thea realized that her brother barely drank alcohol since his return and the effort it took to finish a meal, although fortunately, that last one improved through the months.

But what most caught Thea's attention was that her brother seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The way he moved or how he clenched his jaw, the frown he had more often than not and the way he seemed to measure every act and every sentence out of his mouth didn't go unnoticed by Thea.

She had thought to ask him to open up more than once, to let her in. But after the day she saw his scars she didn't dare. Thea couldn't forget his brother's words _‘I need to get better at talking about what happened to me there, but I’m not ready yet.’_ So Thea had given him time. She had hoped that sooner or later her brother would open up and talk about the island. But as the months passed, Thea knew that Oliver would never speak of it, at least not with her.

And once again, her thoughts flew to Felicity. Thea could see the way the blonde looked at her brother, concern written all over her face. But the young Queen could also see a much deeper feeling. It was clear that Felicity cared about Oliver, and Thea was almost sure that she was in love with her brother.

“Felicity,” Thea said to catch her attention. Once she had it, she kept speaking. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”

“No, don’t worry. I’m fine.”

“Sure,” The answered in disbelief. “You're forgetting that I can see how tired you are, aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little bit, yeah,” she admitted, shyly.

“Then sleep. I know that these chairs are not very comfortable, but…”

“I'd rather wait until... you know...”

Felicity glanced sideways at Oliver and then Thea understood.

“Okay, whatever you want, but know that I'll be here and I'll not sleep, so I'd wake you up if he moves.”

“Thank you,” the blonde said with a tired smile.

But Thea knew Felicity would not sleep until Oliver awoke from the anesthesia and was sure he was okay. The young Queen sighed and returned her gaze to her brother's pale face. She sat in the chair as comfortable as possible and settled down to wait, while Felicity did the same on the other side of the bed.

As the nurse had guessed, it hadn't been an hour when Oliver began to awaken. It was an almost imperceptible movement, but Felicity felt Oliver's fingers move beneath hers. She stood up almost immediately, startling Thea.

“What's up?” the young girl asked, worried.

“He moved his fingers, he moved them!” Felicity answered, excited.

Thea also rose and pushed the button to call the nurse.

“Come on Ollie, wake up,” she pleaded to her brother.

As if he had heard her request, Oliver’s eyelids began to tremble, and he finally managed to open his eyes enough to see some blurry figures. He blinked several times to adjust his vision, and was finally able to focus his eyes on the two women who were looking at him with relief and concern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	24. Truths and Assumptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you doing? As always, I would love to thank you for the subscriptions, ookmarks, kudos and comments. And of course, I also want to thank my beta, **luvtheheaven**. You all are amazing!   
>  This chapter is a little bit longer than usual, but I don’t think you’ll mind. The truth is that what you see below isn’t exactly what I had in my mind when I started writing the chapter, but I think I like what it has become.  
> Two little things I need to say...  
> First, remember that although I did a lot of research about these kinds of injuries and hospitalizations, my actual experience with medical stuff is almost zero, and the knowledge I thought I acquired might be incorrect. So please, forgive me if I made mistakes, but don’t be afraid to correct me if you find any of them.  
> And second, I know that usually people are not allowed to visit ICU patients for so long, but for this fanfic's sake, let's assume that the Queen Family has a lot of advantages, okay? Thank you!  
> That all said, enjoy reading! And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 24. Truths and Assumptions**

The first thing that Oliver was aware of was the constant beeping that sounded from somewhere to his left. He tried to open his eyes and see where the annoying sound was coming from, but his eyelids felt very heavy.

It took various attempts but finally he managed to open his eyes a little. What he saw did not help much. He felt disoriented, extremely tired and his vision was blurred. He blinked several times, and finally he was able to focus on the two women who were looking at him with relief and concern.

Oliver was about to ask where he was when he realized he had a tube in his throat. His eyes widened in pure fear. Instinctively, his hand went to his sore throat. He wanted to get rid of the tube that was causing him so much discomfort.

Having just woken up from the anesthesia, his reflexes were almost zero and his movements slow and devoid of strength, so Thea and Felicity had no trouble holding him. Luckily, by then a nurse and a female doctor had entered the room. When they approached Oliver, Felicity and Thea had to step back to allow them space to work.

“Mr. Queen, can you hear me?” the doctor asked him, standing in his visual field while the nurse checked his vital signs.

The doctor waited until Oliver nodded, then went on, “I know it hurts, but I'll take it out right away, okay?”

“All his vitals are good,” the nurse said.

“Good, hold on a little longer Mr. Queen.”

The doctor and the nurse prepared everything for the tube removal. Once they had disconnected the ventilator, and had checked that Oliver was successfully breathing on his own, the only thing they had to do was to free his throat.

“Okay, now I need your cooperation,” the doctor told him. “I'm going to count to three and you'll inhale, breathing in all the air you can, okay? The deeper the inhalation is, the less it will hurt. Are you ready?”

Oliver nodded slightly. He felt tired and wanted to sleep, but he still more desperately wanted the tube removed from his throat.

Knowing that he could unintentionally hurt himself, the nurse held his head gently but firmly while the doctor counted to three. As soon as Oliver began to inhale, the doctor proceeded to remove the tube from his sore throat.

Once it was out, Oliver started coughing, emitting a low growl as he felt the pull of the stitches on his abdomen.

“You've done very well, Mr. Queen,” the nurse encouraged him as she put an oxygen mask on him. As soon as she saw Oliver's frown she added, “I’ll take it off in ten minutes. It’s part of the process.”

During that time, the doctor took the opportunity to check his pupils and reflexes, asking him to lift one arm, then the other... To ensure that there had been no complications from the anesthesia or the surgery, but above all, to make those ten minutes seem shorter to her patient since Dr. Lamb, the Queen family physician, had told her about his current PTSD.

Once the time had passed, they took off the oxygen mask, and after verifying that he had no difficulty breathing, the doctor asked him, “How do you feel?”

“Tired. Very tired.”

At any other time Oliver would have said _"I'm fine"_ , but at that moment he had no strength to think about his answers, much less to pretend that he was in a better shape than he really felt.

“Are you in pain?”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

Felicity looked at him with surprise. She was not used to Oliver being so sincere about his injuries, and couldn't help but wonder if it was due to the painkillers.

“We'll give you something for that, okay?” The doctor gestured to the nurse and she didn't waste even a second. “You'll still be feeling sore, and Doctor Lamb told me that you don't really like taking medicine, so we’re going to limit them as much as we can, but if you are in pain, we'll increase the dose. And we'll know it even you don't tell us, because the heartbeat does _not_ lie. Do you understand?”

Oliver nodded slowly, feeling dazed. The truth was that he was trying very hard to pay attention to the doctor, and the sedatives they had just given to him to reduce his pain and keep him relaxed were not helping either. The doctor noticed it.

“I'll be back later, Mr. Queen. You should try to sleep in the meantime.”

Oliver didn't even wait for them to leave before he finally greeted "his" girls.

“Hey.”

“Ollie... I was so scared,” his sister told him.

“I'm fine, Speedy,” Oliver murmured.

Thea didn’t seem to be convinced by her brother’s statement, and Felicity knew that the young girl needed to talk to her brother and make sure he was okay, but she also knew that Oliver was literally falling asleep and that he would continue fighting to stay awake until someone told him that it wasn’t necessary. So Felicity didn’t hesitate to tell him that.

“Oliver, you heard the doctor. You must sleep.”

“I'm fine.”

“Ollie, you can barely keep your eyes open!” Thea said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

“Oliver, Thea and I are here and we we're not going anywhere. So you can relax, okay?” Felicity told him running a hand through his hair, caressing him absently.

Oliver's reaction didn't go unnoticed by Thea. Felicity had not only calmed him down, but she’d also made him smile.

It was rare to see her brother smiling and Thea felt her heart warm a little at the sight.

As Felicity had promised, the two girls didn't leave him even for a minute, but now that they’d seen that he was more or less fine, Felicity soon fell asleep, with her hand still on Oliver's head.

When an hour later a nurse came in to check that everything was fine, neither of them woke up. Thea was grateful. She knew that both of them were getting some much needed rest.

Thea was already incredibly bored; she had never been a very patient person after all; so she thought about leaving the room to search for a vending machine, so that she could distract herself for a while. But the truth was that she wasn't actually hungry, and despite that she had told Roy that she wanted to go alone to the hospital, now that she was there she didn't want to be alone. So she shifted in her chair and took out her phone to play with it while the others slept.

Felicity was the first to wake up. As soon as she realized that she had fallen asleep caressing Oliver, and that she still had her hand on him, she took it off as if she had been burned. She looked shyly at Thea, fearing that the young girl would have noticed her actions, but she was totally lost/focused on her phone. Despite how nice Thea had been toward her, Felicity didn't want her thinking that she and Oliver were together, or worse, discovering the obvious fact that she was in love with Oliver. What Felicity didn't know was that Thea had more than suspicions about that.

The sudden lack of her touching seemed to bother Oliver, because as soon as Felicity took away her hand, he began to stir until he opened his eyes.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” his sister teased him fondly.

“Hey,” he answered, still half asleep.

“I was wondering when you both were going to wake up, because I was starting to get really bored of playing Candy Crush.”

Felicity, knowing she had fallen asleep almost at the same time as Oliver blushed heavily, earning a laugh from Thea.

“Don't worry Felicity, you needed it as much as him.”

“It’s nice to see all three of you smiling,” the doctor said, having just come in. “I see you're awake. Did you sleep at all?”

“Yes, the drugs knocked me out almost instantly,” Oliver said, sounding much sharper than he had when he’d just woken up from the anesthesia.

“Good. So tell me, how do you feel?”

“Hungry.” It was the first thing that went through his mind.

“Are you in pain?”

“No, I'm not. It's more like discomfort.”

“It's normal to feel tired and a little sore, but if you see that you start to feel pain, don't be afraid to tell a nurse to increase the dose of the painkillers, okay? And as for the hunger, I'm afraid that you can't eat anything for a few days.”

Oliver couldn't help but let out a groan of frustration. He knew they were not going to let him starve. Moreover, he was sure that one of those bags that hung beside his bed was full of all the vitamins and nutrients his body needed, but he also knew that it would do nothing to ease his hunger. It was something he had not felt since he was trapped in Lian Yu, and he didn't like that thought at all.

“Tell me Mr. Queen, do you remember what happened?”

The memories were somewhat blurry but there was one thing he was sure about. “I got shot.”

“That's right. In the abdomen, and somehow you were very lucky.” The doctor noticed the looks of disbelief that the two girls were giving her. “The abdominal area is full of veins and arteries as well as several important vital organs. It's a very delicate area. Luckily, the bullet only grazed your liver. This organ has a great capacity for regeneration, so it will be in perfect condition in a few months.”

“Months?” Oliver asked, worried.

Now that The Arrow had returned from his self-imposed exile, he couldn't disappear. Not again.

“That's what it takes for the liver to regenerate completely, Mr. Queen. But don't worry, you will feel perfectly well long before that.”

“Before? How long before?”

“It's hard to tell yet. It depends on your progress, but because of your youth and your good physical condition, I think you will recover pretty fast.”

“And how long will I have to stay in the hospital?”

“You’ve just come in and you already want to leave? Aren't we treating you well enough?” she said, pretending to be hurt.

“No, it's not that,” Oliver replied quickly. “But I have never liked hospitals. Don’t take it personally, please.”

“Don't worry. I don’t know anyone that likes them. It must be the needles, and the bad food—”

“And don't forget the smell,” Felicity said suddenly. “It's something like disinfectant, but it only makes me think of pain and sick people.”

The doctor smiled at her spontaneity and Oliver chuckled a bit. The movement pulled his suture points, which were still very recent. He winced and gritted his teeth, trying to keep the pain at bay.

“Easy, Mr. Queen. We don't want to extend your stay here more than it's needed, right?” the doctor asked, friendly.

“How long will it be?” he asked when the wave of pain was over.

“As I was saying, it depends on a few factors that can vary from patient to patient, but about two or three weeks. Plus, you'll have to stay here in the ICU the first few days.”

Oliver let out a long sigh. They would be very long days.

“Don't worry Ollie. We won't let you get bored. Right, Felicity?”

“What? Uh, no, of course not.”

“You don't know how lucky you are, Mr. Queen, having a sister and a girlfriend who care so much about you.”

As Felicity heard that, she didn't waste a second before denying it. “No, you're wrong. Oliver and I are not together. We are friends yes; actually very good friends, and of course I worry about him, but no... We're not dating. We're just friends.”

“Oh, I thought... I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“Don't worry. Everyone thinks I'm sleeping with him, so...” Felicity barely muttered, hoping that Oliver wouldn't hear her.

If Felicity hadn't been so focused on denying it, she would have noticed what Thea did: the flash that went through her brother's eyes. It was just an instant, but for a brief moment, Thea saw how Oliver's world seemed to have broken down completely. Felicity could deny it all she wanted, but Thea was increasingly convinced that there was something between the two.

After a few awkward seconds of silence, the doctor continued her explanation. “As I was saying, Mr. Queen, once you leave the hospital, you'll have to keep resting for two weeks at home. I'm not saying that you will have to stay all day in bed, but you should rest as much as you can. You must give your liver time to heal sufficiently before returning to work. And of course, no strenuous physical activities for at least an additional two or three weeks.”

The doctor's tone of voice made clear that she was dead serious. Oliver assumed she had seen his Medical Records; and therefore she knew which of his injuries and scars were from the island and which of them were more recent. He just hoped she was assuming he was in some kind of a fight club, rather than suspecting that he actually was The Arrow. When Dr. Lamb had first diagnosed him with PTSD, Oliver had searched for information about it online, and had discovered that it was frequent for people with this kind of disorder to get into fights. Oliver hoped that for once, his PTSD would serve for something good and the doctor would not connect him with his other identity.

While Oliver was lost in those thoughts the doctor had kept talking. He only caught single words and he assumed that she was informing him what he would eventually be allowed to eat, what he could and couldn't do... Stuff like that. He would ask when the right time came.

The doctor saw him staring off and assumed it was because exhaustion was overcoming him again, so after telling them that she would be back again later, she left the room.

Once the three were alone, Oliver couldn't help asking, “Felicity?”

“Yes, Oliver?”

“Before, you said that... That everyone thinks that you and me... That we’ve slept together?”

Felicity felt the blush staining her cheeks. She had thought that Oliver had missed that part of the conversation.

“Uhm, yeah...”

“Why is that?” he asked totally confused.

“I don't know,” she lied.

Thea couldn't remain silent when she heard Felicity’s lie.

“Come on Ollie, let's put your brain to work a little, will you? Oliver Queen, playboy and billionaire is lost at sea. He comes back and is seen in public more and more often with a blond girl. And suddenly, she goes from being just another employee of Queen Consolidated to your secretary.”

“Executive Assistant,” he corrects her unconsciously, earning a small smile from Felicity.

“That doesn't matter for what I'm saying. Don't you see what the problem is here? The boss and the secretary! It's the world's most popular cliché, and with your reputation...”

Oliver looked at Felicity, but she was looking down, avoiding his gaze. Oliver felt like if he had just been stabbed in the chest. When he had promoted Felicity - without even asking her opinion - he had only thought of the benefits it would have on their nocturnal activities. He hadn't thought about how it could affect her or the consequences it would have on the company. He hadn't even thought that people could take for granted things that were not true.

Oliver wanted to apologize, he wanted to say that he was sorry, that he had only been thinking of the greater good... but he couldn't say that in front of his little sister. Much less when Felicity was avoiding looking at him.

Oliver suddenly felt very tired. More than that, he felt _defeated_. And very guilty. Thea saw how he sank in the bed, pain flashing in his eyes again.

“Get some sleep, Ollie. You need to rest.”

Oliver didn't want to sleep. He felt sure he would be unable to with the storm of feelings that had broken inside. But at the moment he didn’t want to face the harsh reality that he had hurt one of the most important people in his life. So he closed his eyes and pretended he was trying to sleep without realizing how really tired he felt.  Before he knew it, he fell asleep again.

“Are you alright, Felicity?” the young Queen asked.

“I didn't want him to find out like this,” the blonde admitted.

“Don’t worry about it. He won’t remember it when he wakes up. It's Ollie we're talking about,” Thea said to try to reassure the other woman.

Felicity nodded reluctantly. She knew Thea was wrong. She really thought that the young Queen didn't know how much her brother had changed in that aspect. Perhaps the old "Ollie" as she always called him would forget it. But the man who was lying in that hospital bed was _not_ Ollie. And Felicity knew that Oliver wouldn't let it pass so easily.

Felicity hoped she would be able to reassure him that he had nothing to blame himself for before he drowned in one of his numerous spirals of guilt and self-destruction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	25. Unexpected Visitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **SORRY!** I would like to apologize because I know that this delay has been extremely long. And I’m so sorry! It wasn’t my intention at all, but it was impossible for me to write due to some circumstances in my life that you probably don’t want to know about. So I just going to say (once again) that I’m incredibly sorry. I hope you haven’t lost interest in this fic and that you still enjoy it. I really hope so.  
>  On the other hand, I want you to know I'm doing my best to write and translate as much as I can these days, since I have more free time than I have had in a long time. I hope that way you will forgive me for the past delays. :-P  
> That all said, I would like to thank you for the (both new and old) kudos, bookmarks and subscriptions, and for the comments you wrote. I can’t put into words how much all of it means to me. THANK YOU! And of course, I also want to thank my amazing beta, **luvtheheaven** , who once again has done incredible work helping me to fix this chapter.  
> Enjoy reading and don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 25. Unexpected Visitors**

The two girls sat in silence, watching the motionless form of Oliver. Felicity wondered if Oliver had ever slept so much and so easily before. _Must be the drugs_ , she told herself. _Now I understand why he never wants to take any painkillers._ _They really knock him out._

Her thoughts were interrupted when her empty stomach growled. With flushed cheeks, Felicity looked at Thea to see if she had noticed, and of course she _had_ heard it. In a room where the only sound was the constant beeping of the machine that monitored Oliver's heart any other little sound was clearly audible.

“I'm sorry,” Felicity apologized.

“When was the last time you ate?”

“Eh... What time is it?”

Thea looked at the clock that was on one of the room's walls before answering, “It's quarter past six.”

“Then ... Something like twelve hours,” Felicity answered, shyly.

“What?!”

“Yeah, well, I was supposed to have lunch with Oliver. Not with Oliver, with Oliver. I mean, yes, with Oliver, but not as in a date or anything. This afternoon there weren't going to be any meetings, so we thought that we could go out to eat. Because, did you know that we have been having lunch in his office the whole week? Not that I'm complaining, but... what was I saying? Ah yes. I was going to have lunch with Oliver, but we ended up locked in the bank and then after we left the bank everything was still a bit hectic, and with all that has happened... The truth is that eating has been the last thing on my mind.”

“Well, it's time to change that. The cafeteria food is probably not very good, but it's better than nothing.”

Felicity was about to protest, not wanting to leave Oliver, but her words died in her throat when someone knocked on the door. Both girls were surprised when they saw Quentin Lance.

“Detective, what are you doing here?” Felicity asked, surprised. “Did you come to take a statement?”

“It's Officer now, Miss Smoak,” Lance replied, with a slight smile. “And no, I'm not here to do that. Your statements can wait. I just came to check on you, and also Oliver.”

“Since when do you care about my brother?” Thea asked, not sure of the cop's intentions.

“I know I haven't been very... friendly with your brother lately, but I've learned to respect him, Thea. It hasn't been easy, but I've realized that it's been almost six years. And I think it's time to move on.”

Having heard Oliver apologizing to Sara in his delusions, as well as now knowing for sure that he was The Arrow had affected Lance more than he had thought it would.

Thea looked at him in surprise, Felicity gratefully. The blonde really hoped that if people around Oliver stopped blaming him for things, he would also gradually learn to stop blaming himself.

“That said... Can I come in, please?” he asked, looking at the young Queen, for he was still at the door.

“Yes, of course,” she answered, politely.

“Thank you.” Lance looked at Oliver, who was still asleep. “How is he?”

Thea shrugged, unsure about what to say. The truth was that she didn't know how to describe her brother's condition. Seeing her hesitation, Felicity stepped in to answer Lance's question.

“He's been better, but thankfully it's not as bad as it could be. The bullet hit his liver, but it was just a scratch.”

“And you? How are both of you doing?”

“Better now that we know he's going to be fine,” Felicity said, her emotion evident in her voice.

“If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me. A coffee, something to eat... Whatever.”

“Actually... I had been telling Felicity she should go to the cafeteria to eat something right when you arrived.”

“I think that's a good idea,” Lance agreed. “In fact, I think you should go too,” he told Thea. “I'm pretty sure neither of you have left this room since you entered it. Am I wrong?”

Thea didn't expect that response from the cop. She had spoken thinking that he would accompany Felicity while she would be able to stay with her brother.

Lance saw the doubt on the faces of the two girls, so he kept talking. “Don’t worry; I'll stay with him until you come back.”

This wasn't the way Lance had planned his visit, but Felicity was like a daughter to him, and if the way to help her was to stay with Oliver so she and Thea could eat something, then he wasn’t about to object.

“Are you sure, Detective?” Felicity refused to call him ‘Officer’. Not when he had been demoted only because of his relationship with The Arrow.

“Yes, I am. Just go. I'll be here.”

“Thank you,” both girls murmured in unison as they got up slowly, reluctantly. Although they knew that they weren't doing anything wrong, they couldn't help but feel bad about leaving Oliver. Thea kissed him on the cheek before following Felicity out of the room.

Once the door closed and Lance was alone with Oliver, he sat beside the bed, in the chair where Thea had been sitting.

He wondered how many drugs the doctors had given him, considering he had not woken up despite the conversation that had just happened in his room. He hadn't even moved a muscle. He was sound asleep.

When a few minutes later Oliver's lips twitched almost imperceptibly in what surely was a sort of smile, Lance couldn't help but think that he was probably dreaming about Felicity.

They could deny it to themselves and to the world, but the way they looked at each other, their conversations, the way the acted with the other... If that wasn't love, then Lance didn't know what love was.

The cop kept looking at Oliver, who seemed to be enjoying his dream.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, far from the hospital, Diggle was preparing himself for one of the things he liked the least. He had been in the Queen's mansion to collect some clothes for the siblings, and he had also gone to the lair to pick up the bag of clothes that Felicity kept in there.

Now, Diggle was sitting in the visiting room of Iron Heights, where Moira was awaiting trial. He knew that Oliver wouldn't be pleased when he’d find out that Diggle had gone to tell his mother what had happened, but she had the right to know, especially since it was something unrelated to The Arrow and eventually the news was bound to reach her anyway.

Although visiting hours had ended some time ago, the prison guards had allowed Diggle to enter due to the unusual nature of the situation. Diggle's mind was going at full speed, trying to decide what would be the best way to approach the subject. He hadn't come to any conclusion when the door in front of him opened and Moira entered into the room, followed closely by one of the guards.

“Mr. Diggle?” she asked, confused. “What are you doing here?”

The usually cold and impassive face of Moira was now full of concern. She knew the fact that the man she had hired as her son's bodyguard was there when it wasn’t even visiting hours couldn't be good.

“Sit, ma'am, please,” Diggle asked, which worried her even more. Those words never meant anything good.

Moira didn’t want to sit. She just wanted an answer, so she ignored his request and asked frantically, “What's happened? Is Oliver okay?”

“There has been an... incident, and your son got hurt. But he's fine,” Diggle said, knowing that ‘ _fine’_ would be the word Oliver would use. “He was in the bank when a robbery happened. The robbers were armed and Oliver was shot.” Moira began to slowly sit down. Diggle continued, “It's not serious, the bullet just grazed his liver, and the doctors said that he'll recover in a few weeks.”

Diggle waited in silence while Moira absorbed the information. He saw her world crumbling with every word he had said. The woman in front of him wasn't the strong and feared Mrs. Queen, but a frightened mother, worried about the life of the son she had already lost once.

“And where were you?!”

“He’d asked me to wait outside, ma'am,” Diggle said, defeated. He hadn't expected this personal attack, but now that it had happened, he quickly realized that it actually was a reasonable question. After all, he was his bodyguard.

“I hired you to look after him! And now he is in the hospital, again!” she shouted while a tear rolled down her cheek.

The guard who had come with her said, “Visiting time is over.”

Moira wiped the tear fiercely with the back of her hand, frustrated with herself for showing that sign of weakness. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to compose herself, and breathed deeply. When she opened them again, Diggle saw on her the mask that he had seen on Oliver so many times. Her face was emotionless; only the moisture of her eyes showed how shaken she really was.

“Thanks for coming,” Moira said before getting up and allowing herself to be led out the same door through which she had entered. Diggle could tell that her gratitude was sincere. After all, she wasn't stupid. She knew this conversation couldn't have been an easy task for the bodyguard, and she also couldn't overlook the fact that he’d decided to be the one to tell her, instead of doing it through her lawyer.

Letting out a long sigh, Diggle got up too. He had nothing more to do there, and he was sure that Felicity would appreciate a change of clothes so she could take off the scrubs the nurse had given her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	26. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you all!!!! As always, I want to thank you for all the comments, kudos, bookmarks and subscriptions. Your support means a lot to me and encourages me to write more and more. And I also wanto to thank my beta, **luvtheheaven** , because without her amazing work this fic wouldn't be what it is.  
> Brief note about this chapter: I imagined it with an "aggressive" Thea and a nervous-babbling-Felicity, trying to deny the obvious (that she loves Oliver) until she doesn't have any other option rather than admit it. The truth is that sometimes you don't write what you had imagined. So yeah, I planned that, but I wrote this. I hope you like it, especially because I know that some of you were eager to read this particular chapter.  
> Enjoy it and don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 26. The Talk**

Thea and Felicity were in the hospital's cafeteria, sitting at one of the most remote tables, trying to go unnoticed as they ate the sandwiches they had bought in silence. They weren't very tasty, but they were better than nothing.

Thea broke the silence with a question. “How long have you and my brother been dating?”

When Felicity heard that, she couldn't help but moan in disgust. “Oh Thea, you too? I'm not dating your brother, okay? As I said before, we're just friends; good friends without any kind of romantic relationship.”

“Yes, of course. You can deny it all you want, but no one will believe you.”

“But it's the truth!” Felicity exclaimed, frustrated. “We're just friends,” she repeated.

“Oliver's face didn't say that,” Thea said with conviction.

“Huh?”

“Earlier, in the room, when you said that you're not together, it looked like someone had stabbed Oliver. Those words really hurt him, Felicity.”

“You're wrong.”

“I saw the pain in his eyes.”

“Because he's just been _shot_ , maybe?! Thea, look, I know what everyone thinks, okay? I'm well aware, but _please_! Believe me when I tell you that your brother and I are _not_ together.”

“Okay...” Thea said, now understanding that this wouldn’t be a successful way to get an admission from Felicity.

After that, they continued eating, returning to silence once again, finishing their sandwiches and enjoying the chocolate candies they had also bought from a vending machine.

“Felicity?” Thea said unsteadily after a while. Addressing the 'love-issue' directly didn't work, so she was going to try another way.

“Yeah, what's up?”

“Uh, well, I've never been very good at this, but... _Thanks_.”

If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, Thea would have laughed at Felicity's look of surprise.

“Thanks? Why are you thanking me?”

“For everything you do for my brother.”

“Thea,” Felicity groaned, realizing that she had been wrong in thinking that the young Queen would let her go so easily.

“No, listen to me, please. I... I don't know what happened to him on that island, and I think that I'll never know. But it's okay, I guess. But what I _do_ know is that the island _changed_ him. Before that, Ollie was happy. He was always laughing and joking. When he returned, he was no longer that person. Now he's serious, reserved and restrained. He barely smiles, and I haven’t heard him laugh even once since his return. He chuckles, yeah, but he never laughs. He even lies about what happened.” At this point, Felicity frowned with curiosity and concern. “He says he was alone, but that's _impossible_! I've seen his scars, I've heard him muttering in dreams names I'd never heard before... I know he's been trying not to worry us, but I couldn’t help but be concerned. ”

Felicity stayed silent, not wanting to push her. She could see how much Thea needed to talk with someone who could understand her. And Felicity could give her that. Thea drew a long sigh before continuing.

“Shortly after he came back, I was really upset with him because he didn't want to tell me anything about what had happened to him, and yet he wanted me to tell him what I was doing, where I went... He was judging me for doing the same things he'd done before! So one day I took him to his grave and explained that during those five years I would talk to ‘him’ and that I felt closer to him when he was ‘dead’ than I was feeling with him back. I told him that he had to talk to someone, that he had to let _someone_ in. And you know what? At first I thought my advice fell on deaf ears, but over time I realized I was wrong. Consciously or unconsciously, he was letting someone in. He was letting _you_ in.” Thea was aware that Felicity wasn't the only one. She knew there was Diggle too, who had already proved that he was much more than just Oliver’s bodyguard. She also was not forgetting Laurel - and Tommy, up until he died tragically. But Thea didn’t mention any of them because she wanted the other girl to understand her point. “As first, I got jealous because I thought that he should let me in rather than someone who he barely knew. I didn’t tell him how I was feeling, of course, but I kinda acted like a bitch. At some point, I learned to accept it. I could see that he was changing. He was less grumpy and more relaxed. It took me some time to notice, but that change started with you.”

Felicity, strange as it might seem, was speechless. Thea had just proven to Felicity how wrong she had been about the younger girl. She had thought that Thea hadn’t noticed the changes in Oliver, but the brunette was more perceptive than she had shown.

As Felicity wasn’t saying anything, Thea decided to keep talking. “I admit that at first I thought you were just another conquest for Ollie, although it caught my attention, as he'd never been interested before in the ‘sexy librarian’ look.”  Felicity choked at that. She couldn't remember the last time someone had called her 'sexy'. “What? I didn't say anything you didn't know.

“The fact is that I realized he was spending more and more time with you, and some of his excuses were... really stupid. Then there's the fact that he returns after five months, and the first thing he does is promote you. And no, I don't think it was coincidence. I'm sure that you had something to do with his return. Am I wrong?” Seeing the blonde just shrug, Thea went on. “And then, what happened today... Ollie, in a bank? He might be a gentleman now, I don't know, but there is nothing he hates more than waiting, so believe me when I tell you that it's not something he would do for just anyone. And did you see how he calmed down when you told him that he could sleep and then caressed him? Maybe he hasn't realized it yet, I don't know... But he _loves_ you.”

The words that Oliver had been about to tell to Felicity as he was losing all of that blood in the bank went through her mind at that moment. He was going to tell her he loved her, and at that moment she had believed it, but now that the shock had passed, Felicity couldn't help but think that it had been just a moment of weakness, of being afraid of dying alone. Felicity wished with all her heart that Oliver really would love her, but she was sure that there was no place in his heart for the IT girl.

“You're _wrong_ , Thea. Oliver doesn't love me. You yourself said it, I'm _not_ his type. Plus he has never given me any indication that he could have any feelings for me.”

“Jeez, Felicity! You're more obtuse than my brother!”

“I know you want your brother to be happy Thea. I want that too. And I know that someday he will find the perfect woman for him, but that's _not_ me.”

Thea moaned desperately before continuing, “Look, Felicity, like it or not, whatever there is between you two is not just friendship. You love him as much as he loves you. And if you don't believe me, why don’t we just ask him?”

Before Felicity could react, Thea got up and took the blonde's hand so that she would follow her.

“What are you doing, Thea? Thea? Thea!”

The young Queen didn't answer. She just kept guiding her through the corridors towards Oliver's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	27. Guilt and Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you doing? Better than me, I hope. I'm incredibly sorry for the delay, but first I caught a pretty nasty cold and had been running a fever; and when I started to feel better a friend of the family died, so I wasn't really looking forward to writing, and of the little I did write, I just didn't like it, because it was taking a very sad course and it wasn't what I wanted. I guess the mood affects the writing, so I had to wait a few days to try to rewrite the chapter. I hope it turned out okay, as this is a pretty important chapter.  
> By the way, thank you very much for your continuous support in form of bookmarks, subscriptions, kudos and comments. And thanks also to my beta, **luvtheheaven** , I don’t know what I would do without her.  
> Don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

**Chapter 27. Guilt and Forgiveness**

It was just over twenty minutes since Lance had been left alone with Oliver, and Lance couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened during the stressful day, and about all of the consequences of those events. There was a lot going through his mind, as he hadn’t had the opportunity to just sit and go over all of that until now. He’d had to deal with a bank robbery and lead the hostage negotiation, he’d had to let the robbers leave the bank with the money and then he’d been frustrated, along with the rest of the police force, that those robbers had somehow successfully deceived them and Mike had actually gotten away.

In addition to that, he’d had to see Felicity - a person he loved like a daughter - willingly putting her life at risk to give the police the audio they needed, and he’d had to see Oliver getting shot and bleeding out. He’d had to deal with the fact that The Arrow couldn’t help to resolve the robbery and he had ultimately figured out and had confirmed for min that the Arrow’s secret identity was Oliver himself.

And on top of all that was the fact that he had been reminded that his daughter was dead. The pain he had felt when he had received the terrible news almost six years ago had been excruciating, and listening Oliver apologizing to her had opened a wound that Lance had hoped would maybe never open again.

At that moment, Lance couldn’t help but think about his other daughter. She had lost much more than him that fateful day. She hadn’t lost just her sister, but also her boyfriend, and she’d found out that he had been cheating on her. He had broken Laurel’s heart, and her father was almost sure that she had hated Oliver too. But a year ago he had come back from the dead, and although Oliver and Laurel weren’t as close as they had been once, Lance believed that they currently cared for each other; so he decided that he would call Laurel to let her know what had happened to Oliver, once Felicity and Thea were back.

Lance was glad that the girls had agreed to go to the cafeteria, as it was evident that both of them needed a break, and he knew that the fact that Oliver was sleeping and wouldn't even notice they were gone had been the reason they were able to bring themselves to leave and take care of their own needs. If he had been awake, Felicity and Thea would probably still be here in Oliver's room, eating something Lance would have brought them from a vending machine.

“Good thing you're still asleep,” Lance thought aloud, looking toward the bed, and fixing his gaze on the face of the man lying there. The dark circles under his eyes caught his attention. They were clear evidence of the difficulty of everything Oliver was putting himself through. Lance knew that living a double life couldn't be easy, and it was clear that it was taking a toll on Oliver.

Seeing him there, so still... Lance wondered how many times Oliver had been hurt in the past, and how many of those times had been near death, not only since he became the Vigilante, but since he was first stranded on that island. Lance had no way of knowing exactly what had happened there, but he did know that Oliver hadn't been alone, that some mercenaries had chased and captured him to torture him. Something told Lance that that wasn't the only time Oliver had suffered something so cruel. Lance was sure there was a lot more to the story: many more battles and bad memories.

Lance felt sure that Oliver’s five years of experiencing who-knows-what on that island must be what now accounted for his amazing ability to remain calm no matter what. He had shown this ability when he’d faced the polygraph and admitted he'd been tortured, and when his sister was kidnapped in Verdant by the copycats; and he'd shown it again at the bank.

Lance had seen fellow cops totally freaked out after being shot, but Oliver had not only kept a cool head, but he also had gotten Felicity to stop facing the kidnappers and focus on him. Despite what was going on at the bank, and how badly injured he was, Oliver had been calm and had kept his emotions at bay.

There had been only one moment when the situation had seemed to overcome him: Oliver’s voice had filled with despair when, in the midst of his delirium, he had apologized to Sara; and Lance knew that he wouldn’t forget that ever. It had been a cry full of agony, and for a man who remains calm whatever happened, it meant a lot.

It had taken Lance some time to come to this conclusion, but now he was sure that Oliver had endured much more than he’d ever admit, and Lance felt sorry for Oliver, because he’d realized that the young man was just a tormented soul hidden under a facade of muscle and fake smiles.

“What happened to you on that island?” the cop wondered aloud.

“A lot,” a tired voice answered.

Lance was startled at Oliver's voice, thinking that he’d still been asleep. He hadn't moved a muscle, nor had his breathing changed in the least.

But now, Oliver was opening his eyes, blinking several times to get used to the fluorescent lights.

“Detective Lance? Why are you here?” Oliver asked, surprised. “Where is Felicity? And Thea?” he asked with either fear or concern – the other man couldn’t be sure which one.

“They went to the cafeteria to eat something. They needed it.”

Oliver's frown softened knowing that the two girls were fine and hadn't gone far away. That reassured him. When he shifted to get more comfortable, he felt a sharp tug on his abdomen and he couldn't help but wince.

“Your morphine drip probably needs to be replaced,” Lance said, noticing the empty bag hanging on the pole, and not missing Oliver's grimace. “Do you want me to call the nurse?”

“No, it's not necessary. I'm fine.”

Hearing that, Lance looked at Oliver skeptically, knowing that he couldn’t be actually fine. “How many times have you said that to your friends?”

Oliver's look of confusion was completely sincere. He had no idea what Lance was talking about.

“I had an interesting conversation with your bodyguard before. By the way, that’s a good method of keeping up your facade that you’re just a spoiled rich kid... I mean having a bodyguard; because it's clear that you don't really need one. You can defend yourself pretty well.”

“If you’re saying that because of what happened in the bank—”

“No, Oliver, I'm not referring to that. I'm talking about your taste for green leather. Don't say anything! Just listen,” Lance ordered upon noticing that Oliver was preparing to deny it. “I've long suspected it, and tonight I got my final piece of proof. Miss Smoak was taken hostage in a bank and The Arrow couldn't help her. And what a coincidence you were in there with her! Not to mention that when I tried to contact The Arrow, your bodyguard's phone was the one that rang. I didn't leave Mr. Diggle much choice; he had to admit the truth.”

“And what are going to do? Arrest me?” Oliver asked, defiantly.

Lance got up and approached the bed. He glanced at Oliver's eyes and what he saw there surprised him. There was fire and challenge but also tiredness and pain. But none of that was what had surprised Lance. It was the hint of fear he could see there. He had never seen that in the young man's eyes. Not even when he had arrested him shortly after his return, accusing him of being the Vigilante.

“I won't arrest you, Oliver. You know that a few months ago I would have given anything to do it, but...” Lance let out a long sigh, taking time to collect his thoughts. “I don't approve of your methods, and I can't even begin to understand how you're able to act as judge, jury, and executioner without second-guessing yourself, or how you’re able to kill so easily, because although some of those criminals have done really bad things, they’re still human beings. But, in hindsight, I now have to admit that you've done more good than harm to this city.”

Oliver couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Lance really giving him his approval? He had thought that would be impossible, but now he felt as though a portion of the weight he had been carrying on his shoulders was being lifted away.

“You're wrong,” Oliver said with a blank look on his face, trying to keep his emotions at bay.

Lance looked at him in surprise, at first thinking Oliver was disagreeing that he’d helped the city more than he’d hurt it.

But then Oliver continued, “It’s not easy, Detective. I don't like killing, detective. But when the only two options are kill or be killed... You choose to kill. But not anymore, I'm trying another way.”

“Yeah, I noticed that I no longer find bodies where you've been. Why the change?”

“Does it really matter?”

“No, I guess not.”

Lance slowly sat back down and both went silent, each thinking about the conversation that had just happened. Oliver could see that Lance wanted to say something more, but that he was hesitating for some reason.

“What's on your mind, Detective?”

Lance closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. When he opened his eyes, he stared at the floor. He knew if he looked at Oliver his resolve would shatter. “I could hear what was happening in the bank.”

“I know,” Oliver replied, hesitantly, not knowing where the conversation was going.

“You had lost a lot of blood, you were in shock and you… you were delirious.”

Oliver frowned, trying to remember that part. He knew he had experienced hallucinations at some point, but he couldn't remember what had happened exactly or what he had said.

“You mistook Miss Smoak for Sara,” Lance said, almost in a whisper.

And then, Oliver remembered. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that Lance had heard him talking to Sara. Oliver could see how much effort it was taking Lance to say each word, and Oliver could perfectly understand it; it was a painful subject for him too. He just hoped the detective wouldn’t ask about how she died, because Oliver wasn’t sure he could handle that kind of conversation at the moment.

“Since the day your mother came to my house to tell me that Sara had gone with you on that yacht, I hated you. You were dead too, but still, I hated you with every fiber of my being for killing my little girl and breaking the heart of my other daughter.” Oliver felt responsible for Sara’s death and for the pain he had caused to Laurel and her parents, but hearing it from their dad felt like a punch in the gut to him.

Lance continued, “Once it had been three or four years since her- your deaths, I thought I had overcome it somehow, if that’s even possible, but when you came back from the dead... it was like I lost her again, and I hated you even more.”

At this point, Oliver closed his eyes, overcome by the grief he was hearing in Lance's voice combined with his own feelings of guilt. Oliver felt like Lance’s hate towards him was totally justified.

But then Lance said, “I didn't stop to think about what her death would mean to you. I didn't consider for a moment all you'd been through, and it never even crossed my mind that you might feel responsible for her death.”

Lance took a deep breath, got up, and approached Oliver once again.

“It's been nearly six years, Oliver. I've already realized, and...” Lance lightly squeezed Oliver's shoulder, causing him to open his eyes and look at the cop. Lance saw the raw pain in his gaze. “...it's time that you too realize that you're not guilty. It wasn't your fault, Oliver. You didn't force Sara to go with you, nor did you cause the storm in the ocean. If my work has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sara didn't deserve to die. But neither did you deserve to spend five years on that hellish island. Guilt can consume the strongest soul, Oliver. Don't let that happen.”

Lance could see an inner fight going on behind Oliver’s eyes. He saw that Oliver wanted to believe that her death wasn’t his fault, that Oliver wanted to accept all of Lance’s words, but at the same time that Oliver simply couldn't. Lance wasn’t seeing the strong and unshakable Oliver Queen who had returned from the island, but rather a lost and frightened young man that had been through more than anyone should, and at that moment, Lance just knew what he had to say.

“I _forgive_ you, Oliver. I forgive you because it's not your fault. Remember how Sara was. Bright, cheerful, carefree. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to punish yourself like this. She would want you to be happy, and you won't be if you keep blaming yourself.”

Oliver could feel a bit of moisture in his own eyes. A tear escaped and rolled down his cheek, getting caught in his stubble. If Lance was able to forgive and absolve him of any blame, maybe he could learn to do it as well.

“Thank you, Detective,” Oliver said in a strangled voice.

He hated to show his emotions so clearly, but Lance had opened his heart, so Oliver couldn't do any less than the same. The cop just nodded in response. He could see how much his words had affected the young man, and he just hoped that in the long run, they really would help him to overcome his guilt. He also hoped that the process might be helped along by a certain blond IT girl in his life.

Just then the door slammed open, giving way to a panicked Felicity being pulled by a determined Thea.

“Ollie, answer me one question,” the younger Queen said, unaware of her brother's emotional state. “Do you love her?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for cutting it there, but I think it was the right point. Thank you for reading! I'll be very grateful if you leave me reviews, because I would like to know what you think. Thanks!!!


	28. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I would like to ask you to read the whole Author's Note. I know it's quite long, but it contains some pretty important things, so please, read it.  
> Secondly, as always, I want to thank you for your support. Thanks for each and every one of your subscriptions, bookmarkas and kudos, and especially to those of you who, in addition to reading, take the time to leave a comment. Thanks also to my beta, **luvtheheaven** , whose help is priceless.  
> Related to this chapter, I have to say that I’m aware that you've been waiting for it for a long time. It may not be what you expected, but honestly, I really like how it turned out, and I hope you like it, too. Besides, I think you will appreciate that it's quite a bit longer than usual.  
> Another thing, I don't know if everyone has already seen episode 3x01... In case you haven’t gotten to that point in Arrow yet, let me just say that a little part of the conversation in this chapter is quoted from a scene in that episode. It's not actually a big spoiler, but I prefer to warn you, just in case. Not all of it is direct quotes, some is me just basing my scene off of that scene, but there is a little bit of direct quoting, so I prefer to mention it now. I also reference some of what happens in Oliver’s flashbacks in season 3.  
> Also, related to this chapter… I know that Oliver is not an actual hacker like Felicity, but in early season one, we could see that he has some skills. In episode 1x03 for example, he’s searching who shot him in Interpol database… So when, below, you read something about his hacking skills, know that I’m referring to this kind of thing.  
> And now, probably, the most important thing you have to know: **This fic is coming to an end.** Yes, it's true. And no, I'm not kidding.  
>  The truth is that according to what I had initially planned, there would be another ten chapters, give or take. But… the thing is that this chapter feels kind of "final" for me, and that is a feeling I can't ignore.  
> But don't worry, I promised you Olicity going on a date, and you'll get it. This chapter, below, will be about the long-awaited conversation between Oliver and Felicity, while the next will be the epilogue, which will include the date. I have to say that it wasn't an easy decision to end the fic without writing every moment I’d originally planned to include, but I think I made the correct choice. For those who helped me to make the decision, thanks again.  
> Related to this, I also want to say that my mind is already working on a sequel. I have some ideas, but as I haven't started writing it yet, if there's anything you'd like to see, do not hesitate to leave me a review or send me a private message. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.  
> That all said, enjoy reading and don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing! Oh, and I almost forgot… I hope you all have had a great holiday. And even though it's a bit late... Happy New Year!

**Chapter 28. Hope**

“Ollie, answer me one question,” the younger Queen said, unaware of her brother's emotional state. “Do you love her?”

“Thea!” Felicity objected hysterically while Oliver closed his eyes for a moment, still trying to calm down and keep his tears at bay. He'd just had a very deep conversation with Lance, and he still was pretty affected. It had been heartbreaking to hear the cop talking about Sara and to hear how much Lance had hated him; but at the same time, knowing that Lance no longer blamed him was encouraging.

It had given Oliver hope, because it could be the first step toward making peace with what had happened in the past. Oliver couldn’t help but think that if Sara’s father had been able to forgive him, maybe he would soon be able to forgive himself too.

Since her brother hadn’t answered her, Thea tried it once again. “Come on, Ollie, it's not a difficult question. If you asked _me_ if I love _you_ , I'd say ‘Yes, I love you’ without thinking twice, so tell me, do you love her?”

“Wow, if I had known you were such a matchmaker, I would have asked for your help a long time ago,” Diggle said as he entered into the room, apparently having been just steps behind the girls.

“John!” Felicity protested while Oliver groaned. It had been a long and tough day, and neither of them needed this kind of talk at the moment.

“What?” Diggle replied with a shrug, trying to look innocent. “I'm sure even Detective Lance thinks there's something between you two.”

“Well, I didn't want to say anything, but yes. It's so obvious!” the cop added, cheerfully.

By this time, Felicity was covering her face with her hands, mortified, her cheeks an intense red. Oliver opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to say something, wanting to deny it, but he just wasn't able to do so. Diggle, taking pity on his friends, said, “Come on, we should leave them alone. They have a lot to talk about.”

“But I want to hear it!” Thea complained, not completely joking. However, the look her brother gave her made her shut up instantly. “Okay, okay... We'll be in the waiting room down the hall if you need anything.”

Diggle waited until Thea and Lance were out the door, but before leaving too, Diggle gave Oliver a look that clearly said 'don't screw up, man'. Diggle then followed Thea and Lance as they all walked towards the waiting room. When Diggle realized that Lance had stopped, he asked, “Detective, is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just have to make a call to the Police Station.”

Diggle nodded and kept walking. When he got to the waiting room he saw that Thea was standing by the window, staring blankly, lost in her own thoughts. Diggle stood with his arms crossed against the wall near the door, so if he made an effort, he could overhear what Lance was saying.

That was how Diggle found out that the situation with the robbers had not changed much: there was still no sign of Mike, and the interrogation of Henry was proving unsuccessful. Lance even asked if they knew anything about Mike's kidnapped wife, but apparently they hadn't been able to get any information about her either. Not her location, nor if Mike had managed to free her... Nothing. Diggle couldn't help but think that Felicity probably would have been able to get all that information within only an hour had she been working on the case. Diggle also discovered that Lance had been asked about her when Lance mentioned that he hadn't taken her statement, but that he would ensure that she would go to the station the following day.

When Lance ended the conversation, he met with Thea and Diggle in the waiting room. Seeing how close the bodyguard still was to the door, Lance figured out that Diggle had probably heard the whole conversation, but he chose not to say anything about it.

Instead, he simply said, “I have to leave.” There was a lot of work to do.

Diggle shook his hand, while Thea didn't even turn or say goodbye. It seemed she didn't notice that Lance was about to leave; but Diggle knew better. He could see the stiffness in her shoulders and he wondered if everything that had happened that day was finally taking its toll on her.

Yes, it was true that while awaiting news from the nurse she’d had a breakdown, but after that she had demonstrated an impressive serenity. It also seemed that, while he was gone, she’d had an interesting conversation with Felicity about her feelings for Oliver; Thea had even asked him about it.

And now, there she was, staring out the window, her posture rigid. Diggle couldn't help but notice the similarity between the way the two siblings handled their emotions. At that moment, Thea's voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Do you think Ollie's mad at me?”

“What?” Diggle asked, surprised, thinking had misheard.

“I've been trying to convince Felicity that he has feelings for her, and then I entered his room like a bull in a china shop and I asked that question without even stopping to think that he could be asleep, or tired... or just in pain. I entered and I threw the question at him, forcing them to have a conversation that probably neither of them wants to have right now.”

“Maybe not, but they both need it, Thea. And don't worry. I'm sure that Oliver is not mad at you. He knows your intentions were good. Maybe it was not best timing—”

“I'm not the only one who noticed that my brother was half crying, am I?” Thea interrupted him.

“No, you're not.” Diggle had almost instantly realized that the detective and Oliver must have had an emotionally charged conversation immediately prior to everyone else returning to the room. “But you know what?” Diggle continued as Thea listened intently. “They have been dancing around each other for too long, and it's time they both face their feelings. And probably what happened today at the bank helped them realize how much they mean to each other,” he asked, really hoping he was right and that Oliver and Felicity would be able to admit their feelings for each other.

“You think?” she asked, hopeful.

Diggle couldn't help but smile seeing the gleam in Thea’s eyes. It was clear that he wasn't the only one who was all for a relationship between Oliver and Felicity. “I hope so.”

* * *

 

“But I want to hear it!” Thea had complained, not completely joking. “Okay, okay... We'll be in the waiting room down the hall if you need anything.”

Then Diggle had given Oliver a look that had clearly said 'don't screw up, man'. Oliver didn't say anything but his clenched jaw showed that he didn't at all like his friend's 'advice'. Oliver didn't need a reminder of how easily he could ruin things with Felicity; he remembered very well what had happened with McKenna, Helena, Shado, Sara, Laurel... He didn't want to add Felicity's name to that list. When Diggle left the room, Oliver and Felicity were alone for the first time that day. He knew that they had to talk, and that he should say something, but he didn’t know what, so he just said her name. Softly, almost lovingly, in that specific voice that he only used with her.

“Felicity.”

“You don't have to answer her question, Oliver, really. It's okay,” she replied, her cheeks still deep pink. “But tell me, how are you feeling?”

“I'm—”

“And don't you dare say you're fine.”

“...fine.”

“Oliver,” Felicity pouted.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked, not knowing what else to say. Yeah, he had been shot, but it wasn't the first time, so _Why would she think it’d be any different this time?_ he wondered to himself.

“What about the truth, just for once? We both know you're not fine, so Oliver please, how are you really doing?”

“But—”

“No buts, Oliver. You've been shot, once again; you've accepted the pain medication without complaining even a little bit; and on top of all that there's the conversation you've just had with Detective Lance. I don't know what you talked about, but I could tell that it hadn't been a walk in the park.” Oliver was about to say something, but Felicity didn't let him. “I saw your face when we entered, so don't try to deny it.”

“Okay, I guess I've been better,” he admitted, finally.

“Are you in pain?”

“No, just a bit sore.” Seeing Felicity's frown, Oliver continued. “Yes, it's true, I didn't complain about the painkillers, but only because I didn't want to argue with you.”

At that, Felicity couldn't help but think that it must have been due to the fact that he had just woken up from surgery, so the anesthesia had been running on his veins, causing him to make unusual decisions. When Oliver huffed, she realized that she had said it aloud.

“I was fully aware about what I was saying Felicity. It is really so hard to believe that I didn’t want to argue that you came to that conclusion? Really?” he sounded dejected. “I just didn't try to reject them because we both know you wouldn't agree with me and that it was a fight I wasn't going to win.”

“Oh,” Felicity said, surprised, not knowing what else to say. It was the first time that Oliver had given her a real explanation even _before_ she could call him out on his usual evasion techniques.

They fell silent, just looking at each other. It was then that Oliver noticed Felicity was wearing scrubs, so he asked, “Why are you wearing those?”

“My clothes were... Well, they were soaked in your blood, so a very kind nurse brought them me so I could change.”

“Oh.” This time it was Oliver who didn’t know what to say.

After that, they lingered in silence once again. They knew they had a significant conversation impending, one that neither of them knew how to begin.

“You can get close, you know.” Oliver told Felicity, who was still by the door, where Thea had left her. “I don’t bite.”

Felicity then started to approach him, smiling warmly and saying, “I know you don't bite.” But then she couldn’t help herself and clarified, “Well, actually you do bite. When you eat, you know. Just like everyone else. And maybe when you have sex too. Are you one of those who like to bite your partner? Because you look like that kind of guy… I had a boyfriend once who loved to bite my ear lobe, and the truth, I don't know how he could find it erotic. I _hated_ it, but I didn't know how to tell him. How do you tell your boyfriend to stop biting you when you know that he loves to do it?” Felicity realized what she had just said. “Oh, my God, Oliver! Why didn't you stop me?” she groaned, feeling very embarrassed as she sat in the chair that was next to the bed.

Felicity saw that Oliver had stretched his hand toward her, so she took it between hers.

“I didn't stop you because I like when you babble,” he said softly. “It helps me get to know you better. I'm used to people telling me what they think I want to hear, so I can never know what they really think. But with you it’s different. It is refreshing, and I like it.”

“Thank you?” she said, hesitantly.

“By the way, you assumed that I was ‘the type’ to like to bite, and that's because...?” he asked with curiosity.

“Well, your personality is not the most... cheerful? I don't know, you're a little intense, and slightly possessive, I think. So I guess you might act the same way in bed. Not that I have ever imagined you in bed, well maybe a few times, but the fault is entirely yours! If you wouldn't go shirtless around me all the time...”

Felicity saw Oliver's jaw clench tightly and she stopped abruptly. She had been so nervous about the conversation that sooner or later they would have, that right now she couldn't stop saying the most embarrassing things.

Oliver swallowed hard and made a real effort to ignore all that Felicity was saying so that he could avoid the distracting, sexual images that were already forming in his mind.

But he couldn't forget her statement about his demeanor. It had hurt him.

“I wasn't always so intense.”

Felicity looked up from the floor and fixed her gaze on Oliver's blue eyes.

He continued, “Not even on the island...”

She could see that Oliver was thinking carefully before every word he was saying, but she didn't care. He was opening his heart and she would wait for however long it took.

“... at least not the first time I was there. Because, and this is something that I haven't even told Dig, I wasn't on Lian Yu the whole time.”

Oliver expected to see surprise on Felicity's face, but instead, there was understanding. “Did you know that?”

“I didn’t _know_ , I just guessed from your tattoos and your relationship with the Russian mafia... Besides, I don't think you would’ve been taught the wonderful art of hacking on the island...” she said cheerfully, trying - successfully - to lighten the mood.

“Clever girl,” he praised her, proudly. “The fact is that I was on Hong Kong for a year, under the command of a powerful woman named Amanda Waller.”

“That name sounds familiar to me.”

“She runs A.R.G.U.S.”

“Oh, right... Wait, you have worked for A.R.G.U.S.!?” she yelled. “Oh, well, I didn't expect that at all.”

Oliver knew Felicity had a lot of questions, but luckily for him, she didn't ask any of them. She just looked at him and nodded, letting him know she was still listening.

“On the island I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I kept repeating, and I still repeat to myself that they were necessary to survive. The things I did in Hong Kong, however...” Oliver closed his eyes and sighed, while memories of some of the horrible things he had done filled his mind.

When he felt Felicity squeezing his hand, he opened his eyes and continued talking. “I died on that yacht, Felicity. The man who arrived on Lian Yu was not the same guy that had left Starling City. It was a slow and constant change. I learned to hunt, to fight ... I had to do things I never thought I would ever be able to do. But despite everything that happened, I still felt human. I still believed that there was something good in me. But when I was forced to follow Amanda's orders... It was a radical change. She took all the humanity left in me. She turned me into a weapon. Heartless. Unprincipled. Without a conscious. I was the perfect soldier. A… lethal weapon,” he said, his voice trembling at the end.

Oliver got lost in his memories and Felicity could see how much all that he had gone through in those five years still affected him. Usually Oliver didn't talk about his past. He only brought an aspect of it up if it was essential for the mission. But here, lying in a hospital bed, he had lowered his guard, and he was talking openly about it. Felicity didn't press him. She just started drawing circles on his knuckles, supporting him in silence, waiting for him to continue when he was ready.

“The entire time I was gone, I could never completely trust someone. And when that goes on for so long, you stop seeing people for… people. You see threats… or targets. And when I decided to come home, I just didn’t know how to turn that part of me off. You know, I came back with a mission. Something I had to do to honor my father's memory. I planned to do it alone. I couldn't imagine having a partner, much less two.”

“But then...” Felicity could see the shadow of a smile on Oliver. “…I walked into your office.” Felicity smiled, remembering that day, and the ridiculous lie Oliver told her about the laptop. “You were the first person I saw like ... like a person. Since my return, the company of other people made me nervous; I felt uncomfortable. But that didn't happen with you. Like I said, I couldn't trust anyone, but even without knowing you, I trusted you from the moment I met you. There was just something about you... Something I don't know how to explain.”

Oliver's smile disappeared and instead Felicity saw a shadow crossing his face. Something told her that she wouldn't like what he was going to hear.

“These five years changed me. But there was one thing that didn't change. Before boarding, I was selfish. Upon returning, I was still selfish. I knew that bringing the laptop to you wasn't a good idea, but I needed that information. I was fully aware that, I was likely putting you at risk and linking you, albeit in a small way, to my crimes. Regardless, I also brought you that arrow and the syringe with the vertigo. And when my mother shot me, I didn't hesitate about what to do. I didn't think about the consequences for you. Once again, I was selfish.”

“Oliver, I don’t think—”

“Yes, I was. When I asked you to join us, I knew what I was asking you. I knew it was very dangerous, but I told myself that I would protect you, that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. It was just a way to fool myself into not feeling guilty about what I was doing. Since my return, I've made many selfish decisions, like when I chose to pursue Rasmus to help Laurel instead of going with Dig to help him catch Deadshot, or when after the earthquake I went back to the island, leaving Thea all alone with our mother in prison. But today, at the bank... Today I've been more selfish than ever,” he said, his voice full of guilt.

Felicity could see Oliver's defeated appearance, and it hurt her to see him like that.

“I don't understand, Oliver. I don't know why you say that.”

“I've lost a lot of people. I know too well what it is to be the survivor. I know how much weight the last words of a loved one carry. And yet...” Oliver's voice trembled and he had to close his eyes to try to keep his emotions - and tears - at bay.

Felicity soon jumped to a conclusion about what Oliver was trying to say. He was clearly referring to when he had been about to tell her he loved her, and was apologizing for his attempt to declare his love, and realizing that, Felicity felt her heart break into a million pieces. Although she had tried to deny it to Thea, Felicity hadn't forgotten what had happened in the bank - what Oliver had been about to say; and when she saw Thea so sure that Oliver had those types of feelings for her, Felicity had begun to believe, to hope, that perhaps the young Queen was right and Oliver really loved Felicity. Now, she couldn't believe how she could have been so naive.

All she wanted was to flee the room, hide in a place where no one could find her, and cry for a love that had never been and never could be. But instead of that, she took a deep breath, squeezed Oliver's hand again, and hiding her sadness, she said, “Oliver, it's okay. You were sure you were going to die, and you didn't want to die alone. You were scared, and I was too. You told me what you thought I wanted to hear. That's not being selfish, that's being selfless. So you don't have to apologize for that.”

At that point, she could feel the moisture in her eyes. She wanted to stay strong and not show the immense pain she was feeling, but it had been a tough day, and she just couldn't handle this conversation as well as she wished.

“No, you don't understand, Felicity,” Oliver said, frustrated. “I'm not apologizing because I was going to tell you something that I don't feel. I'm apologizing because I was going to tell you at _that_ moment!”

The realization was like a blow, fast, unexpected, leaving her breathless. Thea was right; Oliver loved her. Felicity couldn't speak. She was excited, stunned, almost petrified, and he could see it. The happiness that radiated from her was overwhelming, and Oliver felt sure he would break her heart. Oliver spoke slowly, quietly, fearing the effect his words would have on her.

“Felicity… I was going to tell you because I thought I would die.”

Felicity frowned, confused and hurt at the same time. “So I was right, you really do not love me.” The pain in her voice was like a punch in the gut to Oliver.

“I care a lot about you, you knew that, but today I realized that it’s not just that. Today I realized that I have romantic feelings for you, Felicity. But I _can't_ be with you. I can't be with anyone,” he said, defeated.

“What? Why do you say that?”

“Because it's the truth, Felicity, and we both know it.”

“No, you’re wrong,” she denied with conviction. Now that Oliver had admitted that he had not-so-platonic feelings for her, she wasn't going to back off so easily.

“I'm not good for you Felicity. I've brought you pain, worry, and danger.”

“You've given me hope, a purpose in life, the chance of doing something good for the city.”

“Being with me is dangerous. You could be _used_ to get to me.”

“Friend and girlfriend are two very similar words, and for the criminals who want to reach you, there is _no_ difference. Besides, after what happened today, everyone will know you're not just my boss. Together we are stronger, Oliver. You have shown me that I can do things I didn't think I could, and you've found another way to help this city.” She was referring to his new vow of "no killing", and they both knew it.

“I’ve screwed up every single relationship I’ve ever had.”

“That's because they didn't know the real Oliver. To Laurel you're still just ‘Ollie’. McKenna moved away to another city. Helena... Helena was a psychopath, so she doesn't count.”

“But she did know that I'm The Arrow.”

“Yes, but she had some ideas of revenge and justice completely contrary to yours. You wanted to convince her that she was wrong, you wanted to show her that she had to change. And love is not about changing the other person, it's about finding the person who, with their flaws and all, is the perfect match for you.”

“And you are that person?” he asked, not wanting to mention that Dig told him something similar once.

“I don't know Oliver, but there's only one way to find out.” _The decision is yours now, Oliver,_ she thought.

“I don't think I'm ready for a relationship right now. You are very important to me Felicity, and I don't want to ruin our friendship.”

“You won't. I'm not asking for us to go from 0 to 100. I'm not asking you to tell me that you love me, nor to kiss me whenever I enter in the room. I'm not asking you to introduce me as your girlfriend, nor to clear space in your closet for my clothes. We can go slowly, and see where that takes us.”

Oliver looked into her eyes, and he saw hope for a future reflected there. Oliver couldn't deny her that, or himself. Maybe he was being selfish once again, but he didn't care. He wantedto try.

“So what, then? Do we take baby steps and see if we can be more than friends? Is that what you're saying?” he asked, clearly insecure.

“Yes, it is,” she replied, full of hope.

“Baby steps it is, then,” Oliver said with conviction, and with a smile that rivaled that of Felicity’s.

She could work with that. She really meant what she had said. She didn't need to be Oliver Queen's girlfriend. For now, spending more time together, getting to know each other better and seeing if they could be something else was enough to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please don’t forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think. Thank you very much!!!


	29. Every Story Starts Somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank you for all the kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks and comments. Thanks also to all who have helped me when I've needed help (there's no need to name you because you know who you are), and especially I want to thank once again my amazing beta **luvtheheaven** , because she has helped me to improve this fic in a way that you can't even imagine.  
> Sorry I took so long to post this chapter, but as you know, this is the last one for this story and I wanted it to be a great chapter, so I've changed it and changed it until I was satisfied. I hope you like the result.  
> I don't know if you noticed, but I've been leaving some loose threads that will be addressed in the sequel fic I write for this, and this chapter adds some more of those things that aren’t quite fully resolved. ;-) However, the truth is that I don't know when I'll start posting the second installment, but it will take a while, because although I have the main plot, I still have a few things yet to plan, so no, I haven't even begun to write it yet.  
> Anyway, if you want to be in the loop, you can "follow this fic," because I will add as a 'chapter' an author's note to let you know when I begin posting the sequel.  
> All that said, I would ask you to not forget to leave me reviews so that I’ll know what you think of this final chapter. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> I'd also like to thank you once again for joining me on this journey that has lasted more than eight months, and to tell you that I hope you all stick with me for the second installment.  
> Meanwhile, remember that you can keep in touch with me by private messages here on fanfiction dot net, or by Facebook (Oiaso FicWriter is where I usually post updates and other fic related things).  
> And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!  
> See you soon,  
> Oiaso

**Chapter 29.** **Every Story Starts Somewhere**

It had been just over two weeks since the robbery at the bank, and Oliver was looking forward to leaving the hospital. He was fed up with being there, even though he had been accompanied almost the entire time. His family and friends had worked out a schedule so that he’d almost never be all alone.

Thea went to visit him every afternoon, sometimes accompanied by Roy; and even his mother had come to visit him for a few minutes thanks to a special permit that the family lawyer had obtained. Not only that, but she had also managed to postpone her own trial because Oliver was in the hospital.

Laurel had gone to visit him a few times too, but she hadn't stayed long, and Oliver couldn't help but wonder if it was because Tommy's death was still very recent. She had already mourned Oliver’s death years ago when the Queen’s Gambit had sunk, and Oliver thought that seeing him now in the hospital, knowing how close he had been to dying must be too hard for her. Also Quentin had returned on two separate days to first take Oliver's a statement, and then to give him an update on the status of the case. Neither Quentin nor Oliver were men of many words, and although neither of them had said it aloud, they both knew that these had just been excuses to visit him, because after the deep conversation they had had days earlier, it had formed a strange bond between the two men who, each in his own way, fought every day for the sake of the city.

Another person who came every day was Diggle, his faithful bodyguard and loyal friend. He went to the hospital in the evening, so that Thea could leave and take care of Verdant, and although Diggle did everything he could to entertain Oliver, he wasn't very successful. Felicity, on the other hand, did a better job.

She was the one who spent the most hours in that room. She always went very early, sometimes even arriving before the sun rose and she didn't leave until Thea arrived early in the afternoon.Oliver and Felicity used those hours to get official Queen Consolidated work done, although she’d of course still been forced to postpone all of the meetings Oliver had been scheduled to be in during these past two weeks. He knew that Felicity had accepted the Executive Assistant position reluctantly, but the truth was that she was really good at the job. She took on so much of his workload and made his job so much easier, always giving him the excuse that he was in hospital and therefore had to rest, but knowing her, he was sure that even once he was out of there, nothing would change. Felicity would remain the mastermind behind every decision while Oliver would take care of the public appearances. The first time he noticed the similarities with their nocturnal activities, he couldn't help but smile.

And while Oliver was glad Felicity was with him every morning, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the evenings much more. Felicity would bring dinner from Big Belly Burger for only Diggle and herself, earning a growl from Oliver. He didn't like the hospital's food, but Felicity always refused to bring him a hamburger, making Diggle laugh out loud, which always led to all three of them laughing.

But for Oliver, the best part of the day was when Diggle left, allowing him to be alone with Felicity. Unlike their mornings, they didn't do anything work-related, not even things related to their typical secret night-work. As they had promised each other in that same hospital room on the same day as him getting shot, they just enjoyed their time together, while they got to know each other better.

They spent hours chatting, discovering little things about the other. For instance, Oliver loved dogs, but he had never had one - because Thea was allergic to them. Or that Felicity's favorite movie was _The Lion King_. The day after Oliver learned of that, he called Thea so that she would bring him the DVD they had at home for when Felicity arrived in the evening.

When that happened, she wasn't surprised. Watching a film on Felicity's tablet had become a part of their nightly routine at the hospital.

The first time, she had been sitting in the chair, but Oliver had suggested that she lie down beside him and get more comfortable. She’d rejected the idea, saying that she could hurt him, but Oliver had doubted that was her real reason for hesitating. Neither of them had finished watching the movie that night. Felicity had fallen asleep in the middle, and when Oliver realized it, he decided he preferred to watch her sleep than to pay attention to the movie, until he too fell asleep. The next day, Felicity couldn't hide her neck pain, so Oliver swore to himself that he wouldn’t let her remain in the chair ever again. Every time, from that point forward, that they wanted to watch a movie, Felicity would get into Oliver's bed. That was how the nurses found them more than once in the morning, and that was how Oliver first discovered that with Felicity at his side, his nightmares were much less frequent.

However, in those two weeks he'd had to be in the hospital, there had been one particular night that for Oliver had been really special. It had started like any other evening. He and Felicity had chatted for a while before starting to watch a movie, but this time, Oliver had begun to draw patterns with his index finger on Felicity's shoulder. To her, they seemed pointless drawings, but actually, Oliver drew, over and over again, the phrase "I love you" in Chinese characters. At the end of the film, that same phrase had been about to escape his lips, but he stopped at the last second. It wasn't the right time. Oliver knew that the moment he said that phrase, their relationship would change forever, and he wanted it to be special. So from that night on, Oliver couldn't stop thinking about it, trying to find the best way to say the words.

That was how the two weeks went by, until the day when Oliver would be discharged had finally arrived. It was late afternoon when Oliver left the hospital accompanied by Felicity. Diggle had been waiting at the hospital entrance, checking for reporters. Luckily, the date of Oliver’s discharge hadn't been spread, so Diggle didn't have to deal with prying photographers and journalists. When Oliver and Felicity came out, Diggle escorted them to the car.

 “Where are we going?” Diggle asked once they were in the car. “To the mansion?”

“The truth is I'm a little tired of being locked inside, so I'd rather go take a walk.”

“But Oliver, the doctors said you should rest,” Felicity protested.

“I'm not talking about training or anything like that, Felicity. It's just a walk in the park, where there are plenty of benches which I can sit on if I want.”

“To the park, then,” she conceded.

Diggle didn’t waste a second and started the car, heading to Avalon Park. Diggle knew Oliver liked it, and that the younger man wanted to go there. He’d made it clear some days ago at the hospital during one of the many conversations they’d had.

“By the way,” Oliver said, barely a minute later, breaking the comfortable silence they had been in. “You haven't told me yet what Lance said to you when he asked you to meet him at the police station last week.”

“It wasn't important, don't worry,” she said, trying to downplay it.

But Oliver knew that face. Whatever it was, she didn't want to tell him.

“Felicity. The truth, please.”

“It's nothing, really.”

“Felicity,” he said again, in a tone that made it clear he wasn't going to let this go.

“Okay... He told me that the bank decided not to press charges—”

“What! Why would they want to press charges?”

“Eh... I think it had something to do with the fact that I broke their security code and opened the safe.”

“Oh, that...”

“Yes, that... But since that stopped the robbers’ request to bring the bank manager into the hostage crisis, they decided to let it go; but they want me to be the person to improve their security system. Something similar happened with the police.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows, confused.

“Detective Lance wasn't the only one who saw what I did, so now the SCPD and part of the special operations unit are aware of what I can do. So... Well... Uh... Maybe I will have to work for them sometime soon.”

“What?!” Oliver and Diggle exclaimed at the same time.

“It won't be a big deal, don't worry. The police have their own IT team, but sometimes their knowledge is not enough, and it is likely that from now on they'll ask for my help on those specific occasions.”

“I don't like the idea,” Oliver stated.

“Why not?” she replied, knowing what the answer would be.

“It's dangerous,” he said without thinking, just by instinct.

“Oliver, we've talked about this many times. My life, my choice. Also, I'll be in a police station surrounded by a lot of cops, how much danger can be there?”

“She has a point, man,” Diggle said smiling, seeing Oliver's frown.

“All right, but promise me you'll be careful.”

“Of course; don't worry. Besides, it's not a sure thing they will call me. It's only a maybe, a possibility,” she said reassuringly.

Oliver tended to be overprotective, especially with her, and although sometimes it was exasperating, Felicity also thought it was very sweet of him to care so much for her.

It never ceased to amaze Diggle how easily Felicity could talk some sense into Oliver. _I've never met anyone as stubborn as him!_ he thought to himself.

When they arrived at the park entrance, Diggle told Oliver and Felicity that he had to go on an errand but that he would pick them up later. Neither of them bought it. They were sure that Diggle was doing it purposely so they could get some time alone, but instead of saying it aloud, they just agreed to text him when they were ready to leave the park.

They began to walk slowly, losing themselves into the myriad of paths through the park, while Felicity was delighted with each new flower she saw.

“Haven't you ever been here before?” Oliver asked, both curious and fascinated at her excitement.

“No, but I wish I had. This place is really beautiful, and there are so many flowers!”

“If I had known you were going to like it so much, I would have brought you here a long time ago,” he said with a mischievous smile that made Felicity wonder if this was how the old ‘Ollie’ acted with the girls. Cheerful, relaxed, playful... A faint blush spread through her cheeks. She knew it wasn't a date, but Felicity couldn't avoid the feeling of having thousands of butterflies fluttering inside.

The last two weeks had been unforgettable. Ignoring the fact that Oliver had been in the hospital, they had been just perfect. _A dream come true, and we haven't even kissed yet._

“What?” Oliver asked when he heard her muttering something.

“Nothing, nothing... Oh!” Felicity exclaimed before rushing to crouch next to some white flowers. Oliver smiled, instantly recognizing that type of flower. “Aren't they beautiful?”

“Yes, they are. There were always lilies at home, and I always liked them.” Felicity looked at him with surprise. She hadn’t thought Oliver would know the name of the flower.

He saw her so thrilled with the lilies that he didn't hesitate to pick one.

“Oliver, what are you doing?” she asked, as she stood up.

“This flower is perfect for you,” he said as he put the flower in her hair above his left ear. The mere touch of his hands on her skin sent a shiver down her spine. Their faces were just inches away, and Felicity's gaze was fixed on his eyes.

Oliver took a step back to see the result. He hadn't been mistaken. The flower gave her a fresh and youthful look. “Do you know what the meaning of the lily is?”

She just shook her head, not trusting her own voice. The intimacy of the previous moment still had her heart beating fast.

“My father used to bring my mother a fresh bouquet of lilies every week,” he said nostalgically, because since he had returned from the island he hadn't seen even one of those beautiful flowers in the mansion. “I asked my father once why they were always lilies, and he said it was because of their meaning. The lily is the symbol of innocence, purity and happiness, and my father said those were perfect for my mother. Back then I thought he was right. Now...” Oliver's voice had acquired a tinge of sadness and pain. The undertaking was still too recent.

“Oliver, your mother lost her husband and son. Malcolm manipulated her. She did what she did to protect Thea and you, and if it weren't for her, many more people would have died that night.” Felicity didn't agree with Moira's actions, but she also knew that it hadn't been an easy situation for her.

“I know, but still... Many people died.” His voice made it clear that he still felt guilty for what happened that night, for Tommy's death.

“You know now that you've left the hospital, the trial will happen soon, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, defeated.

“She'll need your support. And Thea's too.”

“Thea hasn't even gone to visit my mom. She doesn't want to see her.”

“You should talk to her.”

“Maybe, but not today.”

Felicity saw how upset he was, so she wanted to cheer him up and changed the topic to something more cheerful. “So, how do I look?”

“Just beautiful. The flower suits you perfectly,” he said with a big smile. Then he seemed lost in thought, as if trying to remember something. “Come on, I want to see if...” he trailed off.

And before she could say anything, he took her hand and led her through the park, until they came to a clearing where he found what he was looking for.

“It has been long since I last came to this park, but I’d hoped he'd still be here, and it seems I was right.”

“He? Who is he?” Felicity asked, confused.

Oliver pointed toward a man sitting on a bench. He was just as he remembered from his youth, only now the man had white hair, and he no longer had a beard. The man used to go every day to the park, and he took pictures of flowers and the sunset with his Polaroid camera. And sometimes, when he walked next to someone who was enthralled with a flower, or if he saw a couple in love, he couldn't help but take a picture, which he’d then give to them.

“Excuse me sir, could you take a picture of us, please?” Oliver asked him when they arrived at his side.

“Of course,” the older man answered gently. He rose slowly and pointed them toward where they should go for the best lighting.

Felicity was nervous - she couldn't help it. It was going to be her first picture with Oliver. She felt his hand on her waist, and instinctively she leaned on him. When they were ready, the older man pressed the button and waited until the photograph was out. He shook it until the image began to appear, and then he handed them the photo.

When Felicity saw it, she just stared at it. It was beautiful. The way that Oliver had caught her by the waist, the way she was leaning against him, their smiles... It was a perfect first picture. She was so enraptured with the photo that the click of a new camera shot took her by surprise.

She looked at the older man, who had a mischievous smile.

“I heard what happened at the bank in the news. Since then, there have been a lot of rumors about the two of you. They say that you’re not _just_ his assistant,” he said looking at Felicity, “but they ignore—”.

“What?!” Oliver cut him off. The day he had been shot, he’d found out that the workers of Queen Consolidated thought Felicity had gotten her promotion because she was sleeping with him, and now, it seemed the same completely wrong idea had also reached the celebrity gossip channels. Oliver groaned inwardly at the thought.

“—how right they truly are,” the older man continued as if Oliver hadn’t interrupted him. “It’s obvious that there’s something between the two of you, but they don’t realize that your feelings are quite deep. I can recognize true love when I see it, Mr. Queen, and _yours_ clearly is,” he finished, as he gave them the second picture.

Felicity took it curiously and saw that the picture was still nothing but a black square, so she shook it until the image was revealed. If the previous photo had been beautiful, this one was even more. She had no words to describe it. Neither she nor Oliver were looking at the camera, but that didn't matter.

In the new picture, Felicity was looking at the first photo delightedly, while Oliver had eyes only for her. She could now understand what the man had told them. Oliver's eyes were full of the purest love she had ever seen.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” she asked Oliver, with a big smile.

“Yes, it is,” he answered, smiling too.

Oliver was happy. He knew that the older man's photographs used to be very special. He’d always managed to take the picture at the right time, and this time was no different. When Oliver looked up to thank him, he was already walking away, his back turned. Oliver would be sure to return to the park another day in order to properly thank him. He really wished he could thank him right now, Oliver thought as he let out a sigh.

Oliver had either been sitting or lying in bed for most of his time during the past two weeks, so Felicity took the sigh as a signal that he was tired of standing. “Why don't we sit for a while?” she asked.

“I have a better idea. What do you say we go get something to eat? There is a cafe near here that has the best baked goods.”

“That sounds good,” she replied cheerfully. How could she reject something sweet?

It wasn’t long before they arrived, as it was a mere block away from the park. It was a very small cafe, decorated with lots of pictures of all kinds of coffees and desserts. The walls were a light pink color and Felicity’s heels echoed on the tile floor. The light was dim, coming from a small lamp on each table, giving some privacy to its occupants.

They chose a table in the back corner of the local, and they each sat on a side of the table that was alongside a wall, so that both of them could see the whole establishment. Oliver couldn't be happier. The way they were sitting was just perfect because they were quite close to each other.

They looked through the menu in silence, and Felicity couldn't make a decision between so many delicious sounding options. Cakes, muffins, donuts... _Everything_ sounded appetizing.

When the waitress came to ask what they wanted, Felicity hadn't decided yet.

“Do you trust me?” Oliver asked her suddenly, seeing his opportunity.

“Sure.”

“Then it will be a chocolate volcano to share, a mocha coffee with vanilla for her, and one of your classic lattes for me.”

“The volcano will take about ten minutes but I can bring the coffees now, if you want.”

“Yes, please.”

Soon after, the waitress returned with the coffees, and a saucer with some mini-muffins. “Those are on the house, while you wait for the volcano.”

“Thanks,” they answered in unison.

When the two were left alone again, Felicity proved that when eating one of the mini-muffins, a person could not help but moan with delight, making Oliver choke on his coffee. Realizing what she had just done, she blushed deeply.

Oliver wasn't sure if it was the best place or the right time, but what he did know was that he couldn't wait anymore.

“Felicity... There's something I've been thinking about for a while...” Oliver said hesitantly. Timidly, he brushed Felicity's hand with his, as if asking permission to take it.

Wordlessly, she laced her fingers with his as she smiled sweetly, encouraging him to go on, a bit anxious and fearful at the same time to hear what he would say, for it was not common to see Oliver hesitating.

“Do you remember what I told you at the bank?”

She nodded, increasingly nervous. Of course she remembered. She would probably remember every word her entire life.

"I told you that I was sorry you've been in danger so many times, but that I wasn’t sorry for bringing you into my life. I told you that you made me smile for the first time after my return, and that you've filled my days with light and peace. I also told you that you're the most beautiful, kind, intelligent, selfless, courageous and amazing woman I have ever met. And I told you, once again, that you’re remarkable, and that I'm so thankful for the day I met you. Do you remember all of that?"

She nodded again.

“Then I tried to say something more, but you didn't let me. Do you also remember what you told me then?”

“Y-yeah,” she said shakily. “I told you that when the robbery was over and you were okay, you were going to ask me out. That you were going to take me to a movie or for a walk in the park, and that then we were going to go to dinner, and while we were waiting for the dessert… Oh!”

Felicity couldn't go on. So far, pretty much all of that had happened. They had left the bank, Oliver had healed, he had - without her realizing it - asked her out, they had gone for a walk in the park, and now they were waiting for ‘dessert’.

“You did it purposely, right? Ask for the volcano, I mean. You knew it takes a while to prepare it.” Oliver's grin was answer enough; he _did_ know it.

“I love you Felicity. I know it took me a while to realize it, but... I just love you. I love you like I've never loved anyone.” Oliver brought Felicity's hand affectionately to his mouth and kissed it.

Felicity's eyes grew moist, and a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. Before it reached her lips, Oliver brought his other hand to her face and brushed the tear with his thumb. There, excited and tearful by his words, Felicity couldn't be more beautiful, and Oliver couldn't resist the urge to kiss her. It was short, sweet, gentle... But it was a kiss that conveyed all the love he felt for her. It was a promise of a future together, happy and in love.

“I love you Felicity,” he said again, before kissing her one more time.

She wanted to tell him back, because she truly did love him, but instead, Felicity, being just Felicity, came out with a completely different answer that neither she nor Oliver expected. “Do you realize that if you hadn't gone to the bank to keep me company, we wouldn't have come this far?”

Oliver chuckled at her response. Her spontaneity and her ability to surprise him were two of the things he loved most about her.

He replied, “I guess that... every story starts somewhere.”

~ The End ~


	30. A/N: Apology

**SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!**  

Yeah, I don't think I can write them down enough times so that I can let you know how truly sorry I am, because I'm aware it has been too long. So much time has passed that for the last few weeks I've been mulling over if I should post this or not. Finally, I decided to put away my embarrassment and come back. At least, if you want me to do it.

But before of that, I think I owe you an explanation. When I finished writing "Every Story Starts Somewhere" I felt that I needed a few weeks of relax, so I would come back full of energy to write the sequel. Actually, that happened. I had more than half of the story already written, when my computer broke down. And yes, as you probably are imagining already, I lost everything. I couldn't get back even a single chapter.

And if that wasn't already bad enough, I was losing my interest in the show (Yeah, sorry about that, but last season wasn't my favorite, not even remotely). And on top of that, I received a few hard blows on my real life. All of that plus studying and working at the same time… You know how it ended. I gave up writing. Not because I didn't like it anymore, but because at that time I felt like I really couldn't do it. And trust me, you can't even imagine how hard it is to start writing again after such a long time.

But now, it seems that life is getting easier, or maybe I'm learning how to deal with some things in a better (and healthier) way.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'd really love to come back to writing, and my main project, of course, would be the second installment of this fic (although I also have some oneshots in mind, and not just for this tv show).

Buuut, knowing how long it has been, I'm not sure if any of you would be interested in reading the second part, so I'd really love to know your opinion on that matter. After all, you are who accompanied me through my writing-journey of ESSS.

And, if your response is a positive one, I have quite a big problem. As I lost everything, I have to write it again, and I'm not sure anymore if the plot I had planned would work, so I also would like to know if any of you would be interested in helping me to outline the main plot. About this, I think it's really important (for your own benefit) that you think about this for a while, and not to decide anything in a rush. Helping someone to decide the plot means that you won't be surprised when a new chapter comes out, or when a big twist happens. I have been in that other side, and I can tell you that while it's true that knowing you helped the author is really gratifying, it's also true that you lose some of the magic of being a reader. So yeah, give it a thought before deciding anything. Please? I don't want to ruin anyone's reading.

 **So, long story short, there are three main points here:**  

1\. I apologize for the time I have been missing. I'm incredibly sorry!

2\. Would you like to read the second part of ESSS after all this time?

3\. If your answer is "Yes, of course!" (or something similar) would you like to help me outlining the main plot?

Please, let me know what you think (in a comment or even in a private message in FF, I don't mind). And let me tell you, once again, how sorry I am.

And don't forget, when you're bored, take some paper and your favorite pen and enjoy writing!

(P.S. This is unbetaed, and English is not my mother language, so I apologize for the mistakes and weird phrasing. I tried my best, and I hope you don't have too much trouble understanding what I tried to say.)


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